Verse
"Now the whole world had one language and a common speech." Genesis 11:1 (NIV)
Thought
In 2001, I was traveling in Israel on an official government visit. While there I realized that I had forgotten to attend to certain financial matters before I left the United States. But I had subscribed to a service that allowed me to conduct my business affairs online. All I needed was a computer that I could use to gain online access. Fortunately, a visit to a high school near the West Bank was on my schedule. After speaking to a group of Israeli and Palestinian students, I asked the school administrators if I could use one of their computers. They happily obliged and I sat in front of a desktop PC (personal computer).
The computer was super-fast but the language that was on the screen was Hebrew. That made perfect sense since I was in Israel! My need to have access to English was resolved immediately. I saw the word "English" on the screen, clicked it one time and proceeded to conduct my personal business from Israel in a matter of minutes. Prior to that experience, I thought that English was the global language that connected people of different cultures and nationalities. After that experience my opinion has changed. I now believe that the world once again speaks one language; that language is technology!
Technology has made information completely accessible. Technology has made starting a business easier than at any time in history. Technology allows an innovative individual to compete with large corporations. Technology allows us to turn dreams into reality. Technology can connect us across the globe as inexpensively as it used to be to make a phone call across the street. Technology has become the language of the whole world.
The last time the world spoke one language, world leaders were so arrogant that they proposed erecting a structure that would bring glory to themselves. Today our global language challenges us to collaborate in ways that make life better for ourselves and for one another. Those that develop and use technology for the betterment of humanity are prospering in ways that they never dreamt they would. Those that waste the gift of technology by using it for immoral purposes or ignoring it altogether are like those who built the tower of Babel - they wound up living in confusion.
Prayer
"Dear God: Thank you for the gift of technology. Teach me how to use it to better myself and better serve others. Amen."
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