BABEL!

 

Risk

BABEL!

Trending Destruction or Language

By Stephen L. Wilmeth

  

            From the mist of long-ago memory, there was a movie whereby the scene was set in a New England town hall and the folks were gathered to debate some subject that had them on edge.

            The discussion became heated with folks shouting and barking opinions from all corners. Finally, the mayor or some jeffe pounded the gavel, achieved some degree of order, and continued by offering the floor to various speakers. A character dressed like an outdoorsman in his red plaid jacket and cap sitting in the middle front row of the balcony expounded on the subject and garnered support from the entire hall. Others chimed in on his behalf and, finally, a motion from the floor was called, a second was offered, and a voice vote took place.

            The Yeas raised the roof.

            The call for the Nays brought only one dissenting vote, the character that had swayed the crowd for the Yea position. His response was met with surprise, hoots, and hollers.

            Why on earth would you support something so strongly and vote against it was the question asked by the presiding official. The old codger’s answer was sage.

            Because nothing should ever be resolved with unanimity!

            Risk

            We have some pink eye exploding in the wet pen of drought induced dogied calves that granddaughter, Indie, has been nursing.

            On Thursday I called our brand inspector, Janice, and told her we were going to haul them back to the ranch so we could run them all through the chute, clean them up, and doctor the whole bunch of them. I reminded her they were all branded, and the haul would be Dona Ana County to Dona Ana County.

            We were set.

            With bailing wire and panels, we built a runup to the trailer and started. Loading a bunch of bottle raised babies went about as expected and the three of us were dripping wet in the heat and the humidity before it was done.

            At the ranch, each one of them was restrained, face washed, and treated variously based on the severity ranging from no symptoms to full blown pink eye. Four of the calves had and antibiotic wash along with an ointment before a patch was glued in place over the problem eye.

            The whole group of them were going to go on a truck as soon as we could build a full load and get them sold in a good, steady market. We aren’t going to send pink eyed calves anywhere, though, and, between fewer numbers and the infection, a wait is now in order. This price isn’t going to stay this way forever … risk is the byline.

            BABEL!

            Without hesitation, the story of the Tower of Babel has always been somewhat of a dilemma. Why did God find fault in unity? Why would one language seemingly bringing humankind closer together become troublesome? It was a confounding and lingering mystery.

            Modern lessons, however, may be revealing what is truly at the core of this question. Consider the issues that have us so greatly disturbed and divided. This critical race theory, the singular hatred for our past president, the whole gamut of sexual orientation escapades, second amendment crises, black lives matter, and the escalating experimental vaccine(s) brigades have all demanded unrelenting obedience and unquestioned subservience to ideas that had no genesis in our neighborhoods.

            We are being forced to accept them as if we are a herd of sheep.

Another similar and crushing planning example is our federally dominated land ownership and landscape scale management themes and programs. It is an approach whereby the same overlay of management ideas is mandated regardless of the differences of conditions.

            It might work for a while if it is right. It is a disaster if it is wrong.

            Nine million acres of annual catastrophic wildfire is a premier example of landscape scale management running amuck. Rather than breaking forest and grasslands management down to local and regional approaches, the whole system is made one, and it is a dismal failure … risk is not spread.

            Trending Destruction or Language?

            At the likelihood of disagreement and displeasure by my pastor, perhaps language wasn’t the real downfall of the residents of the land of Shinar and their quest to build unto themselves the Tower of Babel.

            Maybe it was their arrogance of singular plans and conformity communicated by condescension through convincing language. Perhaps the Tower was nothing more than another monument to the imperfection of man demanded through distorted promises. Was trending destruction the real problem?

            After all, sin is the universal downfall.

            God scattered the tower builders. He dispersed them in all directions, but there isn’t any evidence of how that was done. Being faithful we accept the fact, but being God, no human eye has ever seen his face for in Exodus (33:20) we are reminded no one may see Me and live. Some event or circumstance occurred to disperse those people.

            Is the language of our time the other bookend that seems to be destroying us from within? Certainly, it must be factored into the looming abyss. Each side interprets responses completely different.

            The greater problem will be when there is only one side and one interpretation. There won’t be that old codger leaning over the banister on the front row in the middle of the balcony to prevent unanimous decisions that will likely prove to be disastrous. Every basket will hold the same set of controls and when the controls prove to be misguided only disaster will result.

            I’m thinking we are ignoring the risks that we are taking. I’m also thinking that we are building our own set of towers of Babel that are doomed for failure. One voice, one political party, and one set of nefarious goals have proven to be catastrophic in ancient times.

            Is there any reason why our future will be different?

 

            Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New Mexico.