Serving Hashem With Gashmius:
Rav Moshe Leib of Sassov zy"a (Sefer Toras HaRama"l) sees a hint in this pasuk that one must serve Hashem in both his spiritual and physical endeavors. Even when one eats or drinks, he must have in mind that he is doing it for the sake of Hashem. Thus, the pasuk can be translated as saying that Hashem saw the "aretz" – the physical parts of the world – "and it was corrupted", meaning that the people of that generation did not use their earthly matters as a form of ruchnius at all. Thus, their fate was sealed.
צֹהַר תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה וְאֶל אַמָּה תְּכַלָּנָּה מִלְמַעְלָה וגו' (ו, טז)
You shall make a skylight for the ark, and to a cubit you shall finish it to the top... (6:16)