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Philosophy. Self-Improvement. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER �?� David Brooks challenges us to rebalance the scales between the focus on external success�??�??résumé virtues�?��??and our core principles. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and sharp insights that have brought millions of readers to his New York Times column and his previous bestsellers, David Brooks has consistently illuminated our daily lives in surprising and original ways. In The Social Animal, he explored the neuroscience of human connection and how we can flourish together. Now, in The Road to Character, he focuses on the deeper values that should inform our lives. Looking to some of the world�??s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint. Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic convert and champion of the poor, learned as a young woman the vocabulary of simplicity and surrender. Civil rights pioneers A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin learned reticence and the logic of self-discipline, the need to distrust oneself even while waging a noble crusade. Blending psychology, politics, spirituality, and confessional, The Road to Character provides an opportunity for us to rethink our priorities, and strive to build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth. �??Joy,�?� David Brooks writes, �??is a byproduct experienced by people who are aiming for something else. But it comes.�?� Praise for The Road to Character �??A hyper-readable, lucid, often richly detailed human story.�?��??The New York Times Book Review �??This profound and eloquent book is written with moral urgency and philosophical elegance.�?��??Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon �??A powerful, haunting book that works its way beneath your skin.�?��??The Guardian �??Original and eye-opening . . . Brooks is a normative version of Malcolm Gladwell, culling from a wide array of scientists and thinkers to weave an idea… (more)
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Brooks
Character building has become an old-fashioned concept, which is why younger readers may not be drawn to this book. With all the emphasis on self-esteem today, children are inclined to believe they already have it made. Why work to improve when you are already perfect? Brooks says that 53 percent of all students now get A's. Some graduating classes have a half dozen valedictorians or more. If high school is easy, why not the rest of life? And if virtue is relative and what's right for you is not necessarily right for me, then why work to become more virtuous?
Brooks contrasts Johnny Unitas with Joe Namath. Both were great NFL quarterbacks from the same region of Pennsylvania, yet their concepts of character were radically different. Unitas believed in working hard and keeping a low profile. Namath believed in having fun and showing off. Brooks sees them as symbols of their respective generations, Even though both men played in Super Bowl III, we tend to associate Unitas with the 1950s and Namath with the 1960s, when because of Vietnam and a lot of other factors, social change was rampant. Yet Brooks suggests it was actually the postwar Unitas generation, sometimes called the Greatest Generation, that actually brought about the change in how people view character. After years of Depression and war, this generation focused on material success, building big homes in the suburbs and acquiring nice things. Developing character became a minor issue, then no issue at all in many homes and schools.
Brooks says there are "resume virtues" and "eulogy virtues." The first includes the kinds of things we brag about and use to get jobs and impress others. The second kind of virtue includes what might be said about us at our funerals, at the end of our life journeys. And this second kind of virtue is what makes character.
Seeing how much the definition of "character" has changed over the years, it is indeed a monumental task that David Brooks has undertaken in this book. Brooks
We need to ask ourselves the tough questions like who we are and balance our resume lives and our eulogy lives. Then and only then can we attain joy; for joy is not something you can aim for it is a byproduct that comes when you are aiming for something else.
Not an easy read by any means but worth reading.
I liked the story in the first chapter because it stuck a chord, but Brooks lost me in the second chapter with:Today the word "sin" has lost its power and awesome intensity.
What the hell? I can't even think about dignifying that nonsense with a rebuttal, but he takes it even further with Furthermore, the concept of sin is necessary because it is radically true.
Still shaking my head. And it goes downhill from there. It's clear that Brooks has misplaced adoration in his chosen heroes. And he has an interesting moving goal post - a chapter on Eisenhower as virtuous but calling him out for being callous to his ... mistress? Regardless of the veracity of the claims, Brooks did not qualify the term, so must have believed it true and didn't pause to observe the hypocrisy of trumpeting Ike given the presumption of infidelity. Brooks culled some good and some horrific examples of the "virtues" he adores here (on the horrific side, George C. Marshall not turning in his classmates despite them rushing him to urgent medical attention following an extreme hazing incident gone wrong.)
Brooks has distorted ideals, but I am assuming his religious perspective peppered throughout the book explains some of them. There are a few good points to take from this, which saves it from one star. But few, which is disappointing, and I wish I'd read something else.
But this book isn’t about Beckett. It’s not even about Samuel Johnson, really. He’s one character, one human, throughout history who Brooks has snagged to put alongside his cast of mature, wise and morally-driven exemplars. It’s an appeal to our better, deeper, inner selves to reclaim the lexicon of what once made great persons great: sin, grace, demons. Not a call to re-embrace religion, but a reawakening to a language that can help define a more purposeful life; a shifting of emphasis from “I” to “we”, or, more properly, from “why me?” to “what should I do about this?” when presented with a challenge. An existence spent more on building a character of resolution and sinew and less on a string of accomplishments or rewards. A slowly growing soul, with a lifetime’s accretion of wisdom—heartbreaks and defeats turned toward a love of humanity and a deep calling—weaknesses become strengths. The end to a journey where a host of others can show up and expound on who you were. A bullet-pointed list on paper pales in comparison. It’s not the résumé, it’s the eulogy.
Every section, every person in this book has its fascination—its lesson to impart. I, however, responded most deeply to the chapters “Love” (about Mary Anne Evans, a.k.a. George Eliot) and “Self-Examination” (about Samuel Johnson and Michel de Montaigne); maybe because they resonated with my own spirit and hinted at my own weaknesses. Passion is surely my Achilles’ heel and yet it’s my greatest strength. This book, though, has challenged me to truly conquer that weakness, to notice when it’s destructive and not constructive, and realize that it’s not so much about victory in each instance, but a constant vigilance against that destruction—and that it’s OK if it takes a lifetime to achieve. That gives me peace.
When I’d heard David Brooks on Sam Harris’ podcast, “Waking Up”, I knew immediately that I’d buy this book. I knew that I’d devour it. I knew that it would have sticking bits on its way toward the bowels. I’m so grateful that it didn’t disappoint, but I’m even more grateful to be aware and active in reclaiming those lost words on our road to becoming greater characters, soulful and graceful and stumbling, and not fret over the dust on the shoes.
“The person who successfully struggles against weakness and sin may or may not become rich and famous, but that person will become mature. Maturity is not based on talent or any of the mental or physical gifts that help you ace an IQ test or run fast or move gracefully. It is not comparative. It is earned not by being better than other people at something, but by being better than you used to be. It is earned by being dependable in times of testing, straight in times of temptation. Maturity does not glitter. It is not built on the traits that make people celebrities. A mature person possesses a settled unity of purpose. The mature person has moved from fragmentation to centeredness, has achieved a state in which the restlessness is over, the confusion about the meaning and purpose of life is calmed. The mature person can make decisions without relying on the negative and positive reactions from admirers or detractors because the mature person has steady criteria to determine what is right. That person has said a multitude of noes for the sake of a few overwhelming yeses.”
The Road to Character contains some interesting profiles of people that I do believe are fascinating, good research and social analysis, and some thoughtful observations, yet, there is a sense of whinging about the book
Looking to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character.
I will admit that some chapters rang truer than others in regards to the biographical examples. I really didn't connect with Eisenhower and a couple others. Some started strong and then became weaker. Some went the other direction of weak to strong. I think this is a reflection of my own preference. My preference were those sections regarding Montaigne, Saint Augustine, Frances Perkins, Eisenhower's mother, George Eliot, George C. Marshall, and A. Philip Randolph. Eisenhower and Bayard Rustin didn't make any positive impression on me.
The final chapter did a good wrap. I will be thinking on Mr. Brooks' argument for distinction between Adam I and Adam II for some time. I couldn't help but reflect on Ecclesiastes as I read this book. Many of his arguments and point can be summed up in that one book of the Bible... one of my favorites.