NobleSouls.Net

I like to think that God, in who, in case it has escaped your attention I have absolute faith in, encourages diversity in thought just as he does in nature.

With that in mind, do you recall the biblical story of the “Tower of Babel”.

“No. What’s it about.”

“It’s an Old Testament story, interestingly one that is shared by many diverse cultures such as in India, Mexico, Greece etc. Even our friends the Choctaw Indians in America have a legend of a similar tale.

Supposedly, shortly after the arrival of humans on the Earth, all of mankind spoke the same language and, as a result could share information and ideas. Mankind could communicate and co-operate completely.

Unfortunately mankind, having tired of living on the Earth, decided that they wished to return to their original home in heaven. So, they began to build a great tower, at a place called Babel.

Through building this tower they believed they would effect their escape from the earth, because if they built it high enough they could return to heaven directly. At least, that was the plan.

But God, who tends to be a little dark-natured in the Old Testament, looked down upon this and was displeased. Destroying the tower, he scattered the people, who had previously co-operated wonderfully and in harmony, across the face of the Earth.

To ensure that they would never again try such a thing, he gave them all different languages so that they could never communicate with each other to the same extent again.

Perhaps this is where the saying a Bab(b)le of tongues comes from? So that’s the story of how strife, trouble and different languages came to the Earth. But let’s look at it slightly differently.

What if the story was actually a metaphor for all the world’s people once sharing a common spiritual understanding, instead of a common tongue, at some point in the early history of Mankind.

Through this spiritual understanding they found a way to return to the world of the spirit, heaven if you like, instead of having to go through life in the world of matter. They could avoid this “vale of tears” as it’s sometimes known.

Now we have a situation where perhaps the purpose of the creation of man himself is in jeopardy. God’s plan for mankind was in danger. So, God destroyed this spiritual pathway or tower by destroying the understanding that came from this common spiritual faith.

Instead of creating different tongues, he created different religious faiths, different spiritual beliefs, giving a piece of the jigsaw of the truth to every new faith and it’s successors.

Now Mankind’s spiritual task became first to find that common faith again through journeying through life, or perhaps lifetimes, until enlightenment was found and humankind passed into the world of the spirit forever.

It’s just a thought but worth thinking on.

The last thing I’ll say about religion is this. I want you to imagine God as the centre of a wheel - the ‘hub’ of the wheel if you like.

Now all the people in Creation are the rim of the wheel. But without the spokes of the wheel, or religious faith, the hub and the rim are unconnected and so there can be no wheel. It would collapse.

Equally, if there were only one spoke, the wheel would also collapse. But the more wheel spokes, or different religions, thtat here are, the stronger the whole wheel becomes

Thus, diversity and tolerance, helped by forgiveness make the world even more whole - not less.’

There is a voice there - speaking through you and it is the Eternal. Stillness.

I left my family again yesterday to travel for what I do. They were still sleeping as it was a very early flight. As I kissed them goodbye while they were still asleep it struck me that life is lived through moments. I would carry this moment with me while I travelled. Their sleeping forms, their innocence and their beauty would stay with me while I travelled.

Then it also struck me that life is lived not just in our moments but in all our moments.

The moments of those who lives (however briefly, passionately and to varying degrees of connection) we have the privilege of sharing and those souls that we journey through time and eternity with - those souls to whom we are always connected in the timeless dance of our being.

I have finally committed to posting a book that I started many years ago into the blogosphere. The preface of the book The Way of the Noble Soul went up today on the site (see top). Funny that it took a trip to Dubai in the Middle East to get the time to make the shift.

I plan to follow it every two weeks with a new chapter. They are placed on the site to invite comment, stimulate discussion and encourage contributions from readers. Feel free to get involved.

It’s not perfect but it is definitely in the ‘perfecting’ mode - and that’s what life is about. Collaboration is welcome and let’s enjoy the journey.