Lost in the Jungle? Esperanto Might Be Your Lifesaver

Imagine surviving a plane crash and landing in the heart of the jungle. You're wandering around, searching for water, when suddenly, a tribal native appears with a bow. You want to express your peaceful intentions, but realize you have no idea what language he speaks.

What's your move?

There's a surprisingly simple answer: Speak Esperanto.

Esperanto is not a type of coffee; it's a language intended to be international, so everyone around the globe could communicate. It was invented by an intriguing Jewish man named Eliezer Ludwig Zamenhof.

Zamenhof was an ophthalmologist from Bialystok residing on Zelona Street, where he also founded a school for children. Today, the street is named "Zamenhof Street."

Bialystok was a city that changed hands frequently, often finding itself at the crossroads of different empires. At the time, it was part of the Russian Empire, though it has also been Polish and was once Prussian. The city was culturally mixed, home to Russians, Poles, Belarusians, Germans, Lithuanians, Tatars, and, of course, Jews, each speaking their own language. Communication was complex, prompting the creative Zamenhof to seek a solution.

Around this time, Zamenhof learned of "Volapük," a language created by Johann Martin Schleyer, who claimed he was divinely inspired in a dream in 1879 to invent it. By 1880, he had published its first textbook, combining "world" and "speak" into Volapük. This dream language quickly captivated many, with Volapük societies sprouting across Europe, boasting some 100,000 speakers and over a thousand certified teachers. Volapük was designed with universal pronunciation, avoiding sounds challenging for non-native speakers, like the Hebrew "h" not found in Russian, or the "g" in English absent in Hebrew.

Despite its ambition, Volapük was notoriously hard to learn. Schleyer hadn't included a lesson on simplicity in his dream. This is where Zamenhof stepped in, creating a new, simpler language. Like Hebrew, Esperanto builds on small roots, making it versatile and eliminating the need to memorize separate words for various uses.

Esperanto spread beautifully, with a major victory in 1888 when all Volapük societies chose Esperanto over their original language due to its simplicity. Nevertheless, some clung to Volapük, and a small number of speakers remain today.

In 1905, the first Esperanto Congress was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, entirely in Esperanto. The Baháʼí Faith, a recent establishment at the time, considered adopting it as their international language but ultimately chose English. However, the Japanese "Oomoto" religion, with hundreds of thousands of followers, made Esperanto its official tongue, with many adherents visiting Zamenhof's grave each year to offer thanks.

Having crafted the language, Zamenhof also envisioned a universal moral philosophy named "Homaranismo," reflecting Hillel the Elder's principle that "what is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow."

In 1913, Zamenhof published the tenets of "Homaranismo" in the spirit of Judaism, but articulated them in a universal manner suitable for all. However, the outbreak of World War I hampered his efforts to spread these ideals far and wide, though many were still influenced by them.