" There seem to be two ways that the people of Babel are getting their identity from their work. First, the grandiose statement “a tower that reaches to the heavens” suggests that they are assigning spiritual value to their work that they would be better off getting from God. This leads to materialism, as we allow the fruits of our labor to tell us we are healthy and safe. Second, the desire not to “be scattered over the face of the whole earth” seems to mean that they also get a name from being gathered into a large group. Part of their sense of power and security comes from the size and wealth of their city. While the first kind of identity-making comes from creating an idol of one’s individual talents and accomplishments, the second kind comes from making an idol of one’s group. This leads, of course, to snobbery, imperialism, colonialism, and various other forms of racism. "

― Timothy J. Keller , Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Plan for the World