All of us Chinese cannot wait any longer. Every day of delay will bring great suffering, disaster, revenge, social suici···
The story of the Tower of Babel is unique and contains core themes of pride and punishment, so there is much to explore.
The story of the Tower of Babel comes from Chapter 11 of the Bible Genesis.
In ancient times, people longed to build a city and tower that reached into the sky, with the purpose of spreading their reputation.
Human arrogance is clearly demonstrated here.
People at that time tried to achieve something beyond the ordinary by constructing a spectacular building.
For example, in what is now Iraq, there are some archaeological discoveries at the location of the Tower of Babel.
People pictured in their minds the construction of that magnificent project, in which countless laborers were invested, with a conceited belief that tried to challenge the gods.
There are still people engaged in relevant research in modern times, trying to uncover what motivated those people to embark on this seemingly impossible project.
The reason for the failure of the Tower of Babel was divine intervention.
God does not want people to be so arrogant because such arrogance goes against God's order.
This is closely related to the religious culture of that period. People at that time firmly believed in the rule of gods, and violating the will of gods was regarded as an extremely serious act.
Ancient Greek mythology contains many similar stories of human arrogance leading to punishment.
Icarus imitates the mythical figure and uses wings made of wax to attempt to fly towards the blazing sun. He was overconfident and did not listen to his father's advice. As a result, his wings melted and he unfortunately fell into the sea and died.
It is easy to fall into the trap of complacency and overconfidence.
In ancient Greece, people had a deep reverence for nature. However, many heroes or mortals tried to challenge the boundaries of gods or nature out of arrogance.
Narratives of that era reveal people's in-depth thinking about human nature and their extensive exploration of the relationship between humans and gods, and humans and nature.
This theme was very common in literary works and artistic creations at that time.
Artists used art forms such as sculpture and painting to repeatedly convey a warning to the ancient Greeks: the characters in the story encountered misfortune due to arrogance, and we should take warning.
The rapid development of modern natural science has greatly increased human beings' ability to intervene in nature.
From the 18th to the 19th century, a change called the Industrial Revolution occurred, and machines began to be put into use on a large scale. This change makes people feel as if they can do anything.
At that time, people cut down trees, mined minerals, and overfished marine life, all of which interfered with nature excessively.
Human beings are overconfident and attempt to reshape society according to ideal plans, so many utopian attempts continue to emerge.
For example, Owen's New Harmony Commune is a very typical utopian practice.
Many people started this project with good intentions, and they invested a lot of money, manpower and material resources, but ultimately failed.
These all reflect that human beings are not aware of their own limitations.
Conservatives uphold a view of human nature that is consistent with biblical teachings.
They always believe that human rational and moral abilities are limited.
They are wary of various social transformation programs.
Like Benjamin Franklin admonished his colleagues during the Constitutional Convention.
Those who participated in the constitution-making meeting at that time were all extremely influential figures. The constitution they drafted would determine the future direction of a new country.
By telling the story of the Tower of Babel, Franklin warned people not to be overconfident and emphasized our need to rely on God's gifts. This actually advocates that we should respect the laws of nature and understand the complexity of human nature.
The concept of conservatism has played an important role in the formation of political systems in many countries, helping to curb impulsive behavior and avoid overconfident decision-making.
In 1992, Margaret Thatcher compared the obviously centralized European Community to the Tower of Babel.
In the course of the development of the European Community, the advancement of many complicated matters such as the integration of countries and the concentration of power made Mrs. Thatcher realize that the assessment of human capabilities may be too optimistic.
Brexit happened 28 years later.
A large number of British people advocate withdrawing from the European Union. This actually reflects that some people are aware of the risks hidden in that idealistic blueprint like building the Tower of Babel.
On the stage of international politics, many decisions without fully considering one's own strength and actual situation are often prone to failure similar to the Tower of Babel.
Many experts in the field of international relations often use metaphors like the Tower of Babel to discuss the rationality and limitations of international organizations or cooperation between countries.
It's important to realize that humans are prone to arrogance.
In today's society, we still encounter many challenges. These issues cover the environmental field, such as global climate warming and ecological environment deterioration, as well as the social field, such as political opposition between countries. These problems all show traces of human arrogance.
Humans must realize that they are not omniscient and omnipotent.
We should learn from the story of the Tower of Babel, learn to be humble, respect the laws of nature, and properly regulate the relationship between ambition and strength on the way forward.
What other behaviors in modern society do you think are arrogant and similar to building the Tower of Babel?