Essentially the peoples of the Earth had all gathered together in this one city, and were rarin' to do what Fred Rogers always preached and build something together. Humans had overcome their bickering and feuding and all those silly things that you think would bring on the wrath of God. But, little did the now co-operating people of earth know, their God hated sharing. The started the building of a great tower whose spire would tickle the undercarriage of heaven, and God grew dark and brooding. Last time he had become jealous of man he had destroyed all but the line of Noah, but due to some certain promises he couldn't do that again. Fearful that the greatness man could achieve through collaboration would soon eclipse his own, he fixed the tongues of the people of the Earth so that they would never again be able to get along and scattered them across the globe. The second half of this chapter is a particularly dry section of lineages, that I didn't want to read.
This summer I attended Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, and although at first I struggled a bit, by the end of my time there I was climbing hills like there was no tomorrow. Inwardly, as I hiked, I examined the merits of the uphills and the downhills and the flats of the trail. I loathed downhills. When you hike up a hill each step feels like you are drawing closer to accomplishing something. Maybe this strength you find in the ratcheting pumping of your legs up a slope is the reward your soul gets for getting that much closer to heaven. several times ,while hiking, I imagined that given an endless series of uphills and flats to rest upon, one could hike all the way up, buoyed by the lifting of your spirit.
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