Eclipsed

When headlines tell us that a particularly sultry summer day is “the hottest on record” or that constant rainfall has made a month “the wettest since records began”, it begs the question “So when did records begin?”. 

The answer is that they began on this date, 2,611 years ago.

On May 28^th, 585 BC a war in Anatolia, which we know today as Turkey, was halted by a solar eclipse. Soldiers of the Medes, the ancestors of modern day Iranians, and the Lydians, natives of Anatolia, were so awe-struck by the eclipse that they took it as a sign from the gods, laid down their arms and declared a truce. 

Because astronomers can calculate the dates of historical eclipses, we’re able to pinpoint this event, making it the first historical event whose date is known. This was where and when records began. It’s often been described as the birth of history.   

Twenty six centuries later, we remember our history and we’re still in awe of the power of nature to shape our lives. UiD’s green projects show our respect for nature and our determination to protect the environment. 

We also respect the power of language. Because words can stop wars, too.

Language can be a weapon of division or a tool of reconciliation. It’s up to the users to decide. In recent years, Korean language scholars have worked on a project to compile a unified Korean dictionary. Decades of separation of North and South following the war of 1950-53 has inevitably created a language divide. Some common words now have radically different meanings. In South Korea “agassi” is the word for a young lady. In the North it translates as “slave of the feudal society”. And linguists believe the adoption of words from different sources presents an even bigger issue. North Korean now includes many Russian “loan words” while speakers in the South use many words borrowed from English.

Negotiations for the unified dictionary have been painstaking, but news of progress is always welcome. The countries share the most heavily militarised border in the world, and the tension that runs across all 160 miles has sometimes threatened to ignite into open war.

Attempts to rebuild a common Korean language could have important consequences for all of us. History teaches us not to underestimate the impact of a few well-chosen or poorly-chosen words.

In July 1870 two countries went to war over a handful of ambiguous phrases. A harmless message from the King of Prussia about a meeting with the French Ambassador was edited, mistranslated and twisted into a provocation that led France to declare war. Within weeks, France was beaten and Prussia used the victory as a platform to form a united German empire. Many historians have argued that the first and second world wars were a direct result of these events. And they acknowledge that it all started with a language misunderstanding.

If poor choices of language can lead us down the path to conflict, then good choices can draw us back to something better.

With the Middle East a perpetual powder keg, some people are working tirelessly in the cause of peace. The Hand in Hand educational project brings together Jewish and Arabic students in a network of bilingual integrated schools and communities around Israel. 

It creates opportunities for children, parents and teachers to learn each other’s languages and cultures. Students are educated in both Hebrew and Arabic and all significant religious and cultural events for Judaism and Islam are celebrated equally. The motto of the Hand in Hand project is simple. “There is another way”.

At Unity in Diversity, we believe that appreciation of different languages and cultures brings people together in ways that can’t be achieved when we keep our minds closed. At our drop-in sessions, we welcome trustees, volunteers and service users who speak many languages. Our training project supporting service users through SELT B1 exams helps people from all over the world develop their English language skills. We also celebrate their native languages. It gives us particular pleasure to see language and heritage passed on to children who will grow up with the skills to build bridges between cultures. 

We don’t need a solar eclipse to tell us that war is a bad thing. We just need to be able to talk to each other, recognise shared humanity and use that as a starting point.    

2,611 years ago today, accurately recordable history began when two armies at war were so awe struck by the power of nature that they stopped fighting. That makes today a good day and an inspiring day. There is another way. And  appreciation of different languages and cultures will continue to light the path.

Unity in Diversity won’t let that positive message be eclipsed.