In the story of the Tower of Babel, people wanted to reach the heavens. Indeed, this story still accompanies us today. Hidden in the story are key principles that can save humanity from tearing itself apart.

Let us jump back through the tunnel of time, 3,800 years ago, to ancient Babylon. Two figures emerge at the finish line: Abraham and the regional ruler, Nimrod. Each represented a different approach to life, a different way of dealing with the human ego, which at that time had grown sky-high.

Nimrod’s view was simple: when everyone’s ego grows, there is nothing that can be done about it. To avoid friction that leads nowhere good, it is better to separate. Let each person go their own way, pursue their own ambitions, and build their own tower in life.

Abraham saw things differently: under no circumstances should people distance themselves from one another. On the contrary, when the ego grows and separates people, it is an invitation to elevate the relationship to a new level. The highest place in life, Abraham explained, can be reached only through a common united effort to rise above the ego.

Most people followed Nimrod, but some felt that Abraham was right. They learned from him how to activate the power of connection whenever division appeared among them. They learned mutual responsibility, solidarity, kindness, and “love your neighbor as yourself.”........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)