The Modern Tower of Babel and the Words That Divide Us
Are We Even Speaking the Same Language Anymore?
We think we’re speaking the same language, but are we? The Tower of Babel wasn’t just an old biblical story—it was a warning. The moment language fractured, collaboration collapsed.
Now, in 2025, we’re facing our own Tower of Babel moment. Not because we speak different languages but because we no longer agree on what the same words mean.
How Words Change Meaning Over Time
Words evolve. That’s natural. But sometimes, the meaning of a word doesn’t just change—it splits, creating confusion, division, and conflict within the same communities that once used it as a unifying force.
We’re seeing this happen in real-time with words like:
Woke – Once a call for social awareness, now a political slur.
Community – Once about collective support, now sometimes a corporate PR buzzword.
Ally – Once an action, now an identity some claim without accountability.
Inclusion – Once about breaking barriers, now a term corporations use to hit diversity metrics.
Words that were meant to bring people together are now being weaponized, diluted, or redefined beyond recognition.
When Language Becomes a Battlefield
Words are powerful because they shape how we think, act, and organize. When they lose clarity, so do movements, workplaces, and entire industries.
The Consequences of Semantic Shift:
1️⃣ Movements Get Stalled by Definition Debates
Instead of focusing on solutions, people end up debating what words even mean.
Is someone truly an “ally” if they’re just posting online?
What does “safe space” actually look like in practice?
While these debates matter, they can also keep movements from moving.
2️⃣ Workplaces Struggle with Alignment
Companies love to say things like:
“We’re committed to an inclusive culture.”
“We’re building a strong community.”
But ask ten employees what those statements mean, and you’ll get ten different answers. Without clear definitions and shared understanding, workplaces create frustration instead of progress.
3️⃣ Hypocrisy Thrives Under Misused Language
Governments, corporations, and institutions use words like justice, inclusion, and equity while actively making decisions that harm the very communities those words were meant to serve.
Without accountability, words become empty rhetoric, and that erosion of trust spreads fast.
What Happens When Even “Black” Means Different Things?
The word “Black” itself holds different meanings across different communities. We are not a monolith— the word Black has evolved and shifts based on history, geography, and lived experience.
This is something I explore in Shades of Black, a workshop that unpacks the complexity of Black identity and the ways language impacts representation, workplace inclusion, and social perception.
If we don’t acknowledge how words like “woke,” “Black,” “ally,” or “community” have different, sometimes contradictory meanings to different people, we can’t build real connections.
How to Reclaim Clarity in Communication
1️⃣ Define Terms Explicitly
Don’t assume everyone is on the same page. If your workplace says it’s “inclusive,” define what that actually means.
2️⃣ Create Spaces for Honest Dialogue
Encourage conversations where people can say:
“When I say ally, I mean…”
“When I say community, I expect…”
Clarity builds trust and accountability.
3️⃣ Use Tools That Ensure Alignment
Workplaces struggle with misalignment when language is unclear. This is why frameworks like ISO 30415 Workplace Maturity Assessments exist—to create shared definitions and measurable goals so companies don’t just say inclusion, they actually implement it.
The Tower of Babel Fell. Will We?
If language is the foundation of connection, what happens when we let it divide us?
We don’t need to agree on everything. But if we’re not even understanding each other, how can we move forward?
Otherwise, we’re just building a modern-day Tower of Babel where nobody speaks the same language, even when they think they do.
Final Thought
What words have lost their meaning for you?
These shifts impact how we work, organize, and connect. If your workplace is grappling with these tensions, let’s talk.