Before Babel, there was unity, but that harmony was lost.
Mankind’s imagination became “evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). Even after God’s judgment of the flood, human pride led to the construction of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–4).
In response, God confused man’s language and scattered humanity across the earth. That was thousands of years ago.
Today, in our post-Babel world, division and discord often seem to prevail. Widespread confusion and misunderstanding, cocktailed with human wickedness, cultivate hostility and strife.
Yet if Babel scattered our tongues, the arts give us back a universal vocabulary.
We must not assume the English text is the sole vehicle for effective communication.
Artists operate in a distinct realm: the imagination.
They can engage the imagination in ways textual literacy cannot. As C.S. Lewis observed, “Imagination is the organ of meaning.”
Artists tend to communicate through non-verbal and non-written symbols, including:
Pictorial
Artifact
Audio
Kinesics
Optical
Tactile
Temporal
Spatial
Olfactory
This means that love can be expressed through all kinds of creative mediums beyond conventional fine arts (such as painting, music, or dance). It encompasses everyday expressions like cooking, storytelling, hospitality, fashion, play, humor, and poetry.
