The Tower of Babel

There is a saying in America that every time there’s an awkward silence, a gay baby is born. I know we’ve all been in that position: meeting someone new and trying to navigate conversations in search of common ground. Since I travel around the world, I get to meet people from different cultures, and usually speaking a different language is a barrier.

I met a Korean woman while in Japan. I told her I would be in Korea and I would like to see her. The day finally came, and we got an opportunity to hang out. We went to a coffee shop, because I had to attend my Yoga Psychotherapy class. She was kind enough to wait with me until my class was over and to continue our adventure. Before my class began, we started talking, but then I felt those uncomfortable moments when silence filled the space as we looked at each other.  I was unsure whether I should say something, since they might be thinking or processing, especially since we were communicating in my mother tongue rather than theirs. Impatiently, I asked, “Are you thinking?” She said, "No, I am trying to connect with you." As I sat and stared at her, I could feel the awkward gaze ease, and I started to appreciate the chance to observe. 

As a woman in my 30s, I can appreciate not having to expend unnecessary energy on small talk and just practice being present. About 2 minutes pass, and it's time for my class to start. After I finished my class, she said she had written something to explain her earlier sentiment.

"I came here to be silent with you. We have different filters that [may misinterpret our intended] meanings. The meaning of every word changes the moment it is heard. Especially if [we speak different] languages. Therefore, it is necessary to intervene. I [prefer] the way we interpret each other’s [essence] rather than exchanging words. 

Language only interferes with the real interpretation of us. Language brings a distortion of the other person by making the other person who [listens] guess [the intended] meaning. [In reality], no one can truly understand [another], even if it’s translated correctly, [because] the moment we [truly] understand each other is when we match each other’s frequencies.

Whether we’re apart or together, regardless of whether we have a superficial conversation. At that time, we will ‘exist’ together. Our essence is integrated into one.

Because our essence is [not] of a language system. [Since] there is no room for language to intervene at that moment. [We] forget each other’s [literal] existence and [we can] exist perfectly.

[With verbal] information, [what] we see, hear, and feel goes through sensory organs but does not have any value. They accumulate into a single essence and rise to the peak for a moment. Only after [the moment] is resolved do we realize, there is no self-awareness in the moment of essence. We [can] talk, but what I [will] remember will not be the content of those words, but how you transformed according to my style. For example, I gave up because I wanted to say too many words, looked at you, and felt a sense of connection, thinking that all my words would have been conveyed by themselves, resulting in my actuality. [It makes me sad] that we are separated from each other's point of view. [This emotion translates out of the limited systems of verbal communication, and that is the moment we can truly connect. Paradoxically, [that is the moment we] become one.

Mutual sharing as a micro-being. Ultimately, the more you talk, the more the meaning is superficial."

-Eun Gyeol of South Korea

*[] = Editorial clarification to better translate the message without losing its essence.

Her thoughts were so profound. As I picked up the wisdom she had placed at my feet, I thought about the Tower of Babylon. How the people, with only one language, were trying to build a tower to reach the heavens. God confused their speech, and they could no longer work on the Tower of Babylon.

The biblical scholars say this story serves as an etiological tale explaining linguistic diversity and serves as a warning against human pride. However, within an instant, I felt a truth hit my spirit. What if God didn’t diversify language to discourage us, but it was a hint that you cannot use language to reach the heavens? It’s a barrier, and the only true way to reach the heavens is through the consciousness that can’t be spoken.

Man, once again, looking outwardly to ascend, when instead the message should be to speak the language that words cannot express: safety, humility, care, concern, faith and love. This is the bridge to the heavens that can’t be reached with raw material, but with a refined spirit.

Philippians 2:10–11 (NIV): “…in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

What if the tongue was not meant to say, " Jesus Christ", but to taste or sense righteousness as our Master? As if God cares what language anyone speaks, except through the spirit of the heart and actions made with the flesh. Some people will get blue in the face with their constricted, rigid beliefs, but I believe that God can be found in every cell that exists because God doesn’t take form in a singular word, but through the very vibrations that bring atoms to order.

When you make friends around the world, language can be a hindrance. However, within today's awkward silence, a profound message was received, and I will continue reflecting on this thought. In the meantime, I will practice learning to speak the language that can’t be spoken but deeply felt.

An image of the Tower of Babel from Wikipedia.

P.S.: I am not a Christian. I do not bind my spirit to the corruption of religious systems. Yet my moral compass was born within a Christian framework, and I honor those stories for what they are: narratives meant to be interpreted and used in the service of humanity’s growth. What I know of evil is that it often disguises itself as good. What I know of good is that it cannot be hidden within evil. I receive every story, from any faith, with openness and seek the cosmic truth woven within them all.