Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves. — Genesis 11:4.
Most of us first encountered the story of the Tower of Babel in the colorful pages of a Sunday school lesson. The takeaways were usually simple: it is an origin story for why humanity speaks different languages, and a cautionary tale about the impossibility of humans physically reaching the heavens.
However, when we revisit this verse through an adult lens, the narrative shifts from a literal architectural feat to a psychological study. Today, I find my mind turning toward our current landscape of leadership in politics and business. We are surrounded by figures who seem obsessed with building modern monuments—not necessarily out of stone, but out of influence, ego, and the relentless pursuit of “making a name.”
There are many ways to build a tower in the 21st century. It isn’t always a skyscraper or a stadium; it can be the accumulation of a vast financial empire or the cultivation of a digital persona. Whether it is a business mogul seeking a legacy of wealth, or an athlete and entertainer chasing the high of global recognition, the motivation remains the same as that of the ancient Babylonians: a desire for self-glorification.
The lesson of Genesis 11 is as relevant now as it was then. It teaches us that fame is inherently fleeting, much like the physical monuments that eventually crumble into dust. When our primary “why” is to make a name for ourselves rather than to serve a higher purpose or the common good, we build on a foundation of sand. History suggests that when we build solely to reach the heavens of our own ego, the structure will—at some point—inevitably come crashing down.
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