All people could talk and understand each other

Today is celebrated the "Day of Pentecost", a time when all people could talk and understand each other regardless of their language or place of origin. The opposite of the "Tower of Babel" where the project failed due to people not being able to understand each other.

A lot of the problems worldwide today seem to me to be rooted in not being able to understand each other, and worse yet, not realizing it.

This is not talking about the many millions of pages here on the internet, mostly chattering away in typed words and pictures, each babbling away unaware of most of the others existence.

The Babel I focus on here, is instead that found between people of different "Temperaments", a modern union of the multiple-thousand year old concept of Temperaments, and Jungian psychological types. (See www.16types.com for latest renditions, clearly onto something.)

The theory describes a situation where each person is of some one particular Temperament, describing a particular functional mode of life. And they relate much better to other individuals of the same Temperament. That is, the accuracy of communication is a function of similarity of Temperament; when relating to someone of a different Temperament, although the same language is apparently spoken, their world view is sufficiently different as to confuse what they think they heard each other say. A Tower of Babel effect.

Although the point here is that the differences in functional life mode causes people to be chattering away in conversation without realizing the other person thinks something different is being said; so as to provide a sense of the different "Temperaments" to the reader, let me say that the theory suggests there are some people who primarily catalyze on the abstract level; others who primarily theorize on the abstract level; others who primarily stabilize on the physical level; and finally, others who primarily improvise on the physical level.

Whichever functional mode an individual primarily operates within, provides the lattice from which the person's life unfolds in daily affairs.

The existence of these four Temperaments seems to enable a balanced functionality overall in the affairs of mankind. Or, it ought to be able to do that.

However, the frustration of having only some people respond accurately to their own similar Temperament folk, the tendency is for people to seek out those of the same Temperament as themselves, for harmonious working relationships. Accuracy of communication dissolves lots of problems before they can start, it is easier that way.

The exception to this is in the selection of a mate with which to pair, the two needing to form a fairly balanced whole despite differing Temperament viewpoint, leaving the uniting force of common purpose to resolve the problems on the average.

In the other life relationships, however, people go for others who think like they do, enough so that there is enough accurate meaningfulness to enable coordination that gets the job done.

To see how a system proves out, one can isolate the components of the system from the rest of the universe, and let it all play out, to find the end result.

I have read a fine example of this happening, the isolation being provided by the ocean's vast expansive surface separating islands far from mainland. This description tells of the ancient Hawaiians having formed physically separate groupings, based on individual functionality closely resembling what is known in western civilization as "Temperaments." The powerful bonding of people of like Temperament enabled high achievements by each, a highly efficient system.

The four groupings had to interact with each other to make the civilization work; their civilization needed to provide for all things the civilization needed to survive and thrive.

However, having become adapted to the easy communication with others of the same temperament forming the individual groupings, they lost the ability to bend out of shape enough to work well with individuals of the other three Temperaments.

And so, as the historical legend goes, the four groupings got so frustrated with the other groupings lack of sense, that they made war on each other. It may be of no surprise that the group that was expert on improvising in the physical world, was far more effective in waging war, and that they did not have the sense to stop before annihilating the other three temperament groups. The remaining grouping was all that was left of the civilization, a highly unbalanced nation, when ships from the Western lands discovered them and began interaction, leading to where the Hawaiian Island people are now.

This illustrates how the four kinds of temperaments became recognized and enabled separation into groups of similars for efficient communication, yet also illustrates the unbalance thusly caused, which stirred the aggressive physically focused "improvisers" to destroy all those who did not think like them; thus the overall system was unable to cope with the changes that time inevitably brings. The banded together "improvisers" on the physical world level, seek control of all others at any price. Conflicts arise, not just intellectually, but instead on the physical level without rational basis, groupings led by proficient "improvisational" types run amok wage wars that have extended even around the world at times. Their expertise at controlling the physical world is matched by their craving to actualize that control; but they really have no idea what to do with the resulting messy devastation remaining after their conquerings, (other than to breed of course, attempting to replicate more copies of themselves.)

This kind of situation is not new. The novelty celebrated as the Day of Pentecost among Christians marvels at the new factor that enables all people to understand what the others are saying, despite the differences in language and backgrounds. It says there is a solution to the huge problem of Babel.

It is the year 2007 now. It is about time we figured out what this pentecostal principle of communication is, and how to use it, and go for a blended civilization that utilizes all the Temperaments in the newly re-found communication principle.

Earth's stores of cheap easy energy are approaching being used up, while having propelled civilization up to incredible ways. We are at a peak from which only valley remains before us unless we use our wondrous high civilization vantage point to reach for a higher mode, instead of crumbling back down again in the rivalrous onslaught of groups of the physically improvising Temperament types in their craving for control of the physical world, yet with no way to correctly steer the controlled world they have conquered. Maybe once again the Pentecostal principle will be found, this time to stay with us, forming a united harmonious world people.

Or, we can just do the same old knee-jerk bash and smash of each other, and down we go into the muck once again.

Can we break the pattern? And go for the real goodies?

Is it just coincidence that we are now wracking in the midst of Iraq, where the ruins of E-Temen-An-Ki, the legendary Tower of Babel, is located, as if a symbol of "you are back here, can you finally get it right this time?"

Jim Cline 2007/05/27