The Tower of Babel is a Biblical story that may be a parable about human communication and the difficulty when many people are speaking different languages and can't understand each other except at a very basic point and grunt level. The story may be about a real tower in the ancient lands of Biblical times - details: (Britannica.com).Now, centuries later, the easy ability to have a basic translation of many foreign languages by copying and pasting into online translation programs or embedded within posts on some social media platforms, has made the Tower of Babel obsolete - we can communicate instantly with people around the world and get a basic idea of meaning even if a common language is not shared.
Currently we are also sharing a common fear - viral infection - of the human illness type, not the computer type. Sharing fear and false information is a risk but more people are becoming aware of the need to double check the validity of information and we are also able to instantly share comfort and support and uplifting stories of what has helped.
Fear is sensible in an emergency situation. We all are scared. I wonder how my relatives living in urban areas will do, and how everyone will do. But for me, doing something feels better than doing nothing. People vary. I was trained as a lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor, and my first job was as a camp counselor with waterfront duties. Emergency workers have to remain calm, the first rule of thumb in emergency training and response is to - stay calm - when everything is falling apart, you are trained to pick up the pieces.
Social media can bring scientists, educators and business people together from different fields and industries to share knowledge. Social media opens international communication and the science and medical communities to easily being able to share important new breakthroughs or research articles with each other, and it is possible to chat in real time in most languages with the translation feature.
Social media can bring lonely people out into a virtual world with others who have similar interests of whatever type. Disabled people who are housebound, or anyone in quarantine can still have access to a vibrant community of entertainment, education, business, or activism. Heckling and misleading information is a problem however people are getting wiser about fact checking information and blocking suspicious accounts. I personally have been heckled online but I have learned so much from what other people share online and have met wonderful, interesting people from all around the world. I love Social Media and the virtual world. It is an amazing gift to the advancement of human intellect and ability to communicate in real time with people from all over the world.
The Tower of Babel is no more with the instant translation feature available in posts on some social media platforms and with some computer software news articles can also be instantly translated into your own language.
May peace, love for humanity, and common sense prevail. Thank you for sharing and caring in the real world and the virtual one!
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