Towers of Psychobabel

Getting started might seem to be a problem, but I guess it really isn't; you just start wherever you please. I'll start with the Tower of Babel cause that story's bugged me since I was a kid. I think now I know why. It's because of music.

They always say music is the universal language, and I believe it, but it doesn't do everything we expect a language to do, like plead in court or ask directions. I can imagine constructing such a language entirely of notes, timbres and dynamics, it wouldn't be hard, and probably as easy to learn as Esperanto and more fun to speak. This has never been done, I think because when we pretend we're important, or try to impress people with our gravity and competence, we always pretend to be unmusical. We stiffen ourselves; we level our voices, suppress rhyme and rhythm. And since lawyers and priests and senators and the like can't imagine themselves singing and dancing at their jobs,  we won't be seeing it I guess.

But certainly it's possible. And this was one of the few times in the Old Testament when Jehovah was actually cool, but the people blew it anyway. Remember that this group of worthies had started on this project because they were pissed off that heaven was above them, in Yertle the Turtle fashion; or maybe they really just wanted better access, who knows? But this really should have pissed off Jehovah, who was known for intolerant behavior (I think he's an impostor, i.e. not the Creator, but more on that down the line.) Recall that after basically entrapping his own children in a classic setup, he not only refused to forgive them but kicked them out on the street and placed armed guards at the door to make sure they could never come home. Then he set them to being unequal and murdering each other by showing favoritism. A guy like that, you need to be careful around.

But in this story, he gave them an out. He didn't blow their little tower away with brimstone. He just made them all suddenly realize how different they were.

Now my question is, why didn't they also realize, right on the heels of that, how much alike they were too? Maybe there were too many lawyers, priests and senators among them. Too many self-exalted middlemen with all their personal power invested in making others work for them. I don't know; the Bible isn't clear on this and many other points.

Anyway, we already do have a universal language in music, useful for more than we usually use it for, and I'll be writing more about that I think.

For Now
just1