From The Desk Of Pastor Paul Viggiano

Speaking the language of unity

By Pastor Paul Viggiano

When God set out to confound men's efforts at building their own tower to heaven, he simply confused the language so they couldn't understand one another's speech. Apparently the easiest way to scatter and disassemble a people is to make communication difficult.
When Alexander the Great sought to unify his entire conquered territory, which spanned nine time zones, he made Greek the only allowable commercial language. People could speak their native languages in their own communities, but if they were going to do business, they had to learn Greek.

Healthy and unified nations have a specific language, and there are good reasons for it.
Perhaps you've encountered a language difficulty while placing an order at your local drive-through. It's an inconvenient, moderately laborious and ineffective process when the two people don't speak the same language. No big deal. You end up with the chicken instead of beef -- who can tell the difference?

But what if you're on the phone seeking information on bills you owe or work that needs to be done on your car or house? Business becomes tricky when you can't understand each other. Still, it might be considered a minor inconvenience. Eventually things get done.

It's a little more perilous when you come upon an automobile accident. When someone says, "Call an ambulance!" and all you get are blank stares, with no opportunity to press two for the alternative language, the victim might bleed to death.

And how about the military -- assuming people are living in a country they love and are willing to defend. What happens when lives are on the line and orders are given in the nation's language? Are we comfortable with the idea of people dying because no one understands the commanding officer?

It should be obvious that we need to pick a language and have everybody learn it. It will strengthen our nation. People are xenophobic by nature. We tend to fear what we don't understand. A healthy conversation where we all understand what's being said will foster an esprit de corps among the people.

Those who oppose a unified language are either ignorant of what unifies a nation or they simply don't care about unity -- maybe they're only concern is to build a constituency. Either way, having multiple languages when it comes to commerce, health, safety and national security is divisive and dangerous.

And I don't oppose the glorious American melting pot. I view myself as a spicy Mediterranean addition. The multiculturalism of our country is splendid and exciting. All the foods, styles, music and diversity make our country electrifying. But it is a melting pot, not a rotating Lazy Susan where all the individual bowls form segregated courses having no common point of contact with each other.

The melting pot as originally suggested by Pierre Eugene DuSimitière is e pluribus unum -- out of the many, one. For this to work, there are things that need to contribute to the unum. And one of the non-negotiables of the unum is the language. Our current trend is heading us toward e pluribus pluribus. We're celebrating the many, but we're losing the one -- one flag, one language and one indivisible nation under one God.

There are things unique about the United States that have always attracted people from other countries. It might be a worthwhile pursuit to understand what specific and unique attributes helped to make this country great and cling to them.