http://www.nytimes.

com/2015/04/12/opinion/sunday/david-brooks-the-moral-bucket-l
ist.html
The Moral Bucket List
APRIL 11, 2015
David Brooks
ABOUT once a month I run across a person who radiates an inner light. These peop
le can be in any walk of life. They seem deeply good. They listen well. They mak
e you feel funny and valued. You often catch them looking after other people and
as they do so their laugh is musical and their manner is infused with gratitude
. They are not thinking about what wonderful work they are doing. They are not t
hinking about themselves at all.
When I meet such a person it brightens my whole day. But I confess I often have
a sadder thought: It occurs to me that I ve achieved a decent level of career succ
ess, but I have not achieved that. I have not achieved that generosity of spirit
, or that depth of character.
A few years ago I realized that I wanted to be a bit more like those people. I r
ealized that if I wanted to do that I was going to have to work harder to save m
y own soul. I was going to have to have the sort of moral adventures that produc
e that kind of goodness. I was going to have to be better at balancing my life.
It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the rsum virtues and the eu
logy virtues. The rsum virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eu
logy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral
whether you were
kind, brave, honest or faithful. Were you capable of deep love?
We all know that the eulogy virtues are more important than the rsum ones. But our
culture and our educational systems spend more time teaching the skills and str
ategies you need for career success than the qualities you need to radiate that
sort of inner light. Many of us are clearer on how to build an external career t
han on how to build inner character.
But if you live for external achievement, years pass and the deepest parts of yo
u go unexplored and unstructured. You lack a moral vocabulary. It is easy to sli
p into a self-satisfied moral mediocrity. You grade yourself on a forgiving curv
e. You figure as long as you are not obviously hurting anybody and people seem t
o like you, you must be O.K. But you live with an unconscious boredom, separated
from the deepest meaning of life and the highest moral joys. Gradually, a humil
iating gap opens between your actual self and your desired self, between you and
those incandescent souls you sometimes meet.
David Brooks
Politics, culture and the social sciences.
When Cultures Shift APR 17
The Lost Language of Privacy APR 14
The Revolution Lives! APR 10
What Candidates Need APR 7
On Conquering Fear APR 3
See More
So a few years ago I set out to discover how those deeply good people got that w
ay. I didn t know if I could follow their road to character (I m a pundit, more or l
ess paid to appear smarter and better than I really am). But I at least wanted t
o know what the road looked like.

Photo
Credit Rachel Levit. Photography by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
I came to the conclusion that wonderful people are made, not born
that the peopl
e I admired had achieved an unfakeable inner virtue, built slowly from specific
moral and spiritual accomplishments.
If we wanted to be gimmicky, we could say these accomplishments amounted to a mo
ral bucket list, the experiences one should have on the way toward the richest p
ossible inner life. Here, quickly, are some of them:
Continue reading the main story
THE HUMILITY SHIFT We live in the culture of the Big Me. The meritocracy wants y
ou to promote yourself. Social media wants you to broadcast a highlight reel of
your life. Your parents and teachers were always telling you how wonderful you w
ere.
But all the people I ve ever deeply admired are profoundly honest about their own
weaknesses. They have identified their core sin, whether it is selfishness, the
desperate need for approval, cowardice, hardheartedness or whatever. They have t
raced how that core sin leads to the behavior that makes them feel ashamed. They
have achieved a profound humility, which has best been defined as an intense se
lf-awareness from a position of other-centeredness.
SELF-DEFEAT External success is achieved through competition with others. But ch
aracter is built during the confrontation with your own weakness. Dwight Eisenho
wer, for example, realized early on that his core sin was his temper. He develop
ed a moderate, cheerful exterior because he knew he needed to project optimism a
nd confidence to lead. He did silly things to tame his anger. He took the names
of the people he hated, wrote them down on slips of paper and tore them up and t
hrew them in the garbage. Over a lifetime of self-confrontation, he developed a
mature temperament. He made himself strong in his weakest places.
THE DEPENDENCY LEAP Many people give away the book Oh, the Places You ll Go! as a gr
aduation gift. This book suggests that life is an autonomous journey. We master
certain skills and experience adventures and certain challenges on our way to in
dividual success. This individualist worldview suggests that character is this l
ittle iron figure of willpower inside. But people on the road to character under
stand that no person can achieve self-mastery on his or her own. Individual will
, reason and compassion are not strong enough to consistently defeat selfishness
, pride and self-deception. We all need redemptive assistance from outside.
People on this road see life as a process of commitment making. Character is def
ined by how deeply rooted you are. Have you developed deep connections that hold
you up in times of challenge and push you toward the good? In the realm of the
intellect, a person of character has achieved a settled philosophy about fundame
ntal things. In the realm of emotion, she is embedded in a web of unconditional
loves. In the realm of action, she is committed to tasks that can t be completed i
n a single lifetime.
ENERGIZING LOVE Dorothy Day led a disorganized life when she was young: drinking
, carousing, a suicide attempt or two, following her desires, unable to find dir
ection. But the birth of her daughter changed her. She wrote of that birth, If I
had written the greatest book, composed the greatest symphony, painted the most
beautiful painting or carved the most exquisite figure I could not have felt the
more exalted creator than I did when they placed my child in my arms.
That kind of love decenters the self. It reminds you that your true riches are i
n another. Most of all, this love electrifies. It puts you in a state of need an
d makes it delightful to serve what you love. Day s love for her daughter spilled
outward and upward. As she wrote, No human creature could receive or contain so v

ast a flood of love and joy as I often felt after the birth of my child. With th
is came the need to worship, to adore.
Continue reading the main story
She made unshakable commitments in all directions. She became a Catholic, starte
d a radical newspaper, opened settlement houses for the poor and lived among the
poor, embracing shared poverty as a way to build community, to not only do good
, but be good. This gift of love overcame, sometimes, the natural self-centeredn
ess all of us feel.
THE CALL WITHIN THE CALL We all go into professions for many reasons: money, sta
tus, security. But some people have experiences that turn a career into a callin
g. These experiences quiet the self. All that matters is living up to the standa
rd of excellence inherent in their craft.
Frances Perkins was a young woman who was an activist for progressive causes at
the start of the 20th century. She was polite and a bit genteel. But one day she
stumbled across the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, and watched dozens of gar
ment workers hurl themselves to their deaths rather than be burned alive. That e
xperience shamed her moral sense and purified her ambition. It was her call with
in a call.
After that, she turned herself into an instrument for the cause of workers rights
. She was willing to work with anybody, compromise with anybody, push through he
sitation. She even changed her appearance so she could become a more effective i
nstrument for the movement. She became the first woman in a United States cabine
t, under Franklin D. Roosevelt, and emerged as one of the great civic figures of
the 20th century.
THE CONSCIENCE LEAP In most lives there s a moment when people strip away all the
branding and status symbols, all the prestige that goes with having gone to a ce
rtain school or been born into a certain family. They leap out beyond the utilit
arian logic and crash through the barriers of their fears.
The novelist George Eliot (her real name was Mary Ann Evans) was a mess as a you
ng woman, emotionally needy, falling for every man she met and being rejected. F
inally, in her mid-30s she met a guy named George Lewes. Lewes was estranged fro
m his wife, but legally he was married. If Eliot went with Lewes she would be la
beled an adulterer by society. She d lose her friends, be cut off by her family. I
t took her a week to decide, but she went with Lewes. Light and easily broken tie
s are what I neither desire theoretically nor could live for practically. Women
who are satisfied with such ties do not act as I have done, she wrote.
She chose well. Her character stabilized. Her capacity for empathetic understand
ing expanded. She lived in a state of steady, devoted love with Lewes, the kind
of second love that comes after a person is older, scarred a bit and enmeshed in
responsibilities. He served her and helped her become one of the greatest novel
ists of any age. Together they turned neediness into constancy.
Commencement speakers are always telling young people to follow their passions.
Be true to yourself. This is a vision of life that begins with self and ends wit
h self. But people on the road to inner light do not find their vocations by ask
ing, what do I want from life? They ask, what is life asking of me? How can I ma
tch my intrinsic talent with one of the world s deep needs?
Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading t
he main story
Their lives often follow a pattern of defeat, recognition, redemption. They have

moments of pain and suffering. But they turn those moments into occasions of ra
dical self-understanding
by keeping a journal or making art. As Paul Tillich put
it, suffering introduces you to yourself and reminds you that you are not the p
erson you thought you were.
The people on this road see the moments of suffering as pieces of a larger narra
tive. They are not really living for happiness, as it is conventionally defined.
They see life as a moral drama and feel fulfilled only when they are enmeshed i
n a struggle on behalf of some ideal.
This is a philosophy for stumblers. The stumbler scuffs through life, a little o
ff balance. But the stumbler faces her imperfect nature with unvarnished honesty
, with the opposite of squeamishness. Recognizing her limitations, the stumbler
at least has a serious foe to overcome and transcend. The stumbler has an outstr
etched arm, ready to receive and offer assistance. Her friends are there for dee
p conversation, comfort and advice.
External ambitions are never satisfied because there s always something more to ac
hieve. But the stumblers occasionally experience moments of joy. There s joy in fr
eely chosen obedience to organizations, ideas and people. There s joy in mutual st
umbling. There s an aesthetic joy we feel when we see morally good action, when we
run across someone who is quiet and humble and good, when we see that however o
ld we are, there s lots to do ahead.
The stumbler doesn t build her life by being better than others, but by being bett
er than she used to be. Unexpectedly, there are transcendent moments of deep tra
nquillity. For most of their lives their inner and outer ambitions are strong an
d in balance. But eventually, at moments of rare joy, career ambitions pause, th
e ego rests, the stumbler looks out at a picnic or dinner or a valley and is ove
rwhelmed by a feeling of limitless gratitude, and an acceptance of the fact that
life has treated her much better than she deserves.
Those are the people we want to be.
@#comments

David Roy Fort Collins, Colorado 7 days ago

For me, the first must read column of the year. It is this kind of sharing, and
love, that will make different the stories of Israel, of Libya, of Russia, of Ch
ina, of this country, and our own guns, hate, and fears.
Many know that to have a different world, we, you, have to live a different life
. It may be a long while before any of us reads such a gentle introduction as to
how the trip on that adventure could start.
Beauty is not partisan - joy is not for a few. The shackles that constrain too m
any of our lives are mental, not physical. Our aversion to step on this path tha
t Mr. Brooks has doodled so well is personal - what stops you, me, from finding
something wonderful in someone, or something, today, and lovingly sharing it?
52Recommend
TheGatheringCincinnati Cincinnati 7 days ago
The kind of people David Brooks refers to - those souls whom others admire for t
heir deep selflessness - are ones who integrate that kind of thinking into all a
reas of life. The mark of a true person of character, in my mind, sublimates the
self in the interest of the other. In all interactions, in all ways of thinking
, it is the other that matters. As almost all world religions claim, such is the

essence of the Golden Rule - "Let me love and serve the other AT LEAST as much
as I love and serve myself." If every person, in all their thinking and acting,
practiced such an ideal, violence, hate, anger and inequality would cease.
30Recommend
MGPP1717 Baltimore 7 days ago
Well said and well written. One point that Mr. Brooks only briefly touched on is
self-delusion. The biggest step for most in achieving a better moral compass is
realizing that we are animals with an incredible ability to self-delude--to rat
ionalize our immoral behaviors as moral, or at least not that big a deal. That 4
bedroom home out in the burbs burning through power all winter and summer, the
gas-guzzling SUV, all needed for the benefit of children (moral? immoral?). The
job with negative externality after negative externality? Well if I don't do it,
someone else will anyway. etc, etc. Kids, teenagers, adults, everyone should be
taught that when making decisions, stop for a second and ask yourself how might
I be foregoing morality through self-delusion in this case.
35Recommend
Tracy Beth Mitrano Ithaca, New York 7 days ago
Has anyone else noticed that the specific examples Brooks gives are of women ...
?
45Recommend
Bill McLaughlin Appleton, Wisconsin 7 days ago
Mr. Brooks has described the essence of the Christian life--one which so many Ch
ristians who are prisoners to doctrine and formalism (as well as love of "the wo
rld") do not understand. The problem for reaching the state he describes is the
fraility of the human psyche and logos. A Christian recognizes that a human is i
nherently unable, on her own steam, to reach the states (humility, etc.) he desc
ribes. Human pride, that most wicked of sins, inevitably interrupts the journey.
It is only by accepting Christ as Savior and letting his Spirit work in you tha
t there is hope. Christ then receives the credit, not the human. If there is one
part of Mr. Brooks' essay that troubled me it is that he seemed to imply that D
orothy Day was transformed by the birth of her child when her life change was th
e direct result of her conversion to the Christian faith.
15Recommend
21st Century White Guy Michigan 7 days ago
This might be one of the best things I've read by any regular NYT columnist. It
lacks the hokey, simplistic narrative of so many "seize your life!" books and tr
acts, it doesn't set me up to get me to spend money on something, and keeps it r
eal about the difficulties of pursuing a more meaningful life in this society.
There's a lot we can all add here about the larger systemic and institutional fa
ctors, like commercial capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy, etc., that make
such a shift in one's life difficult, and provide the foundation for a society
that makes such people unfortunately so rare. But I think this column can inspir
e and deepen those conversations.
Mr. Brooks, I am generally dismayed by much of what you write. Today I want to g
ive you a hug, and say thank you from the bottom of my heart for a beautiful pie
ce.
57Recommend
Elizabeth Davidson Southbury, CT 7 days ago
This essay is beautiful. Marvelous, perceptive insights. Hard to believe the cyn
ical comments from readers. So many unhappy people. Good that they read this. Up
on reflection It may help them.

33Recommend
Nina V
7 days ago
There is reason to believe that, though I fully understand what Mr. Brooks is sa
ying, Education has a hand on working in the opposite direction, seeing students
from the head up, only, and as vessels to simply fill with "information," when
the path of education should be towards enlightenment.
I read a great piece, today, about this and that compliments Mr. Brooks' article
, but shows a way through this in Education. Here's a teaser (the rest can be fo
und here: http://www.communityworksinstitute.org/cwjonline/essays/a_essaystext/v
il...
"A re-moralization of U.S. society is not going to happen if we push students aw
ay from themselves, if we demand that they park their angst and fear somewhere a
nd just take the information we're imparting. This just makes matters worse sinc
e it suggests a lack of care, an inability to recognize that a student's life ma
tters, that a student already brings into our classrooms philosophies and ideas an
d that it's our responsibility to let these live, to use these as ways into diff
icult and challenging ideas, to test them through inquiry.
We must help the notion that different voices can be help to solve problems beca
use we have all the resources we need to tackle our challenges but we may not have
the will.
But how can we have will if passion and desire are directed towards material obj
ects and the importance we give tasks and degrees, not what a person can imagine
? This is the moral conundrum."
9Recommend
kathy lane atlantic city nj 7 days ago
A lovely column for a beautiful Sunday morning. Food for thought about what real
ly matters. Good work David. Very inspirational.
18Recommend
Cynical Jack Washington DC 7 days ago
"They are not thinking about what wonderful work they are doing. They are not th
inking about themselves at all."
Some versions of Christianity and of Buddhism offer disciplined paths to such an
attitude. I would expect other religions as well.
Secular ideals don't go where Brooks wants, at least not in the West in 2015. Th
eir goal is the enhancement and perfection of the individual, a focus on self th
at clashes with what he describes. On the one hand: "Be all you can be.On the ot
her: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose h
is life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
10Recommend
Harry Pearle Rochester, NY 7 days ago
For the past 3 years, I have been giving Easy buttons from Staples, as thank you
gifts. The buttons simply says, "that was easy". The idea is to encourage peopl
e to take simple easy steps in life, especially to give to others.
So, now I have give away over 100 Easy buttons, one at a time. Staples has a new
Global Easy button, which speaks in 7 languages, from 12 countries. They can be
gotten online for $7 each.

Sending this comment was easy, but I did not have to do it. It took one easy ste
p. THANKS David Brooks
3Recommend
Martin New York 7 days ago
So if the "meritocracy" requires you to promote & sell this superficial version
of yourself, it's not really a "meritocracy", is it? More like a "race to the bo
ttom." This is a fundamental contradiction that Brooks is always trying to gloss
over, the contradiction between human values & market values.
22Recommend
BA Hughes 28428 7 days ago
Please ask Mr. Brooks to supply members of the House of Representatives and the
Senate with copies of this column. And sooner rather than later.
32Recommend
SW Massachusetts 7 days ago
David, thank you for this column. It seems to me, and to many others, that Barac
k Obama is at core the kind of "good people" you admire and are aspiring to beco
me. I am often puzzled by your overlooking this core aspect of our President, wh
ether or not you choose to agree with his policies. After reading this column I
am hopeful that in this phase of your life, you will view Obama from a different
perspective, rather than continue to demean him in your public and influential
work.
54Recommend
Crystal Bernard Ormond Beach, Fl. 7 days ago
I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see. I sought my God, but my God elude
d me. I sought my brother, and I found all three.
I am not quite sure who wrote this, but it was a revelation to me when I first r
ead it. It's through forgetting our own problems long enough to be of service to
others, that connects us to our true selves and God. The inner light happens to
people, it is a product, but I don't think it's ever the goal.
22Recommend
Doc G Eastport ME 7 days ago
I enjoyed this and shared it.
I think if you consider all others as your equals, you are well on your way to d
eveloping that inner light. This is difficult to do. If you have never been poor
, how can you understand the ghetto drug addict's need to escape? If you have ne
ver been in the lower half of the IQ curve, how do you understand those for whom
additional education will be meaningless? If you have never been wealthy, how d
o you understand the avaricious, isolating nature of the rich and powerful?
Forgive all you meet for their shortcomings, and yourself for yours.
24Recommend
thwright vieques 7 days ago
This unusual column (at least from a pundit originally offered as a commentator
on public affairs -- clearly much less so recently) understandably evokes sharpl
y contrasting responses.
It is a strong, personally risk-taking, statement of support for seeking an auth
entically moral life, with an admirably broad array of examples, sources, and te
stimonials.
At the same time the sharp contrast between the sort of moral sensitivity advoca
ted, and the public policy prescriptions of those for whom Brooks seems generall
y to be an apologist, is too glaring not to arouse fierce retorts.
Does this suggest that the blind spot that afflicts us all when we try to see ou

rselves is one of the very greatest obstacles to living an optimally moral life?
20Recommend
Robert Roth NYC 7 days ago
"She made unshakable commitments in all directions. She became a Catholic, start
ed a radical newspaper, opened settlement houses for the poor and lived among th
e poor, embracing shared poverty as a way to build community, to not only do goo
d, but be good. This gift of love overcame, sometimes, the natural self-centered
ness all of us feel." Nothing stopping you from doing that as a Jew. Even if you
don't live among the poor, starting a radical newspaper would be an extraordina
ry example of the powerful transformation that you seek for yourself.
8Recommend
angrygirl Midwest 7 days ago
Whenever I read your column, I am reminded of a quote by Emerson, "Your actions
speak so loudly, I can not hear what you are saying.
You can "preach" all you want about what makes a moral person, but by actively s
upporting the GOP, the party of intolerance, I cannot hear what you say.
72Recommend
R. Karch Silver Spring 7 days ago
More and more, people are becoming part of the obscene enterprise of, earning a
living as part of dishonest, profit-seeking 'enterprises'.
More and more, profit-earning companies are at a loss to compete at all, money,
unless they are part of a 'crony' capitalist system.
So for a person with any conscience whatever, there's no choice except: 1) to ta
ke no job and suffer the consequences of poverty;
2) live on an inheritance; 2) ask for government help, i.e. help from same gover
nment that has chosen more or less to condone a capitalist system that has gone
rogue.
So what is left in terms of 'free time'? A person can keep 'beating his head aga
inst the wall' if he tries even to think of any 'practical' means of living in a
society totally given in to compromising with such a system, or can perhaps vai
nly just try to ignore any such thoughts of being a useful or good member of soc
iety.
Very few people can both compromise their principles in the first place so as to
gain any credibility as a person, and at same time care to add something of val
ue, or help bring American society and its declining values back to decency and
meaningfulness as an actual civilization instead of sorry end result of a republ
ic run amok.
People can hardly do that if they have forgotten what is meant not to compromise
any values they may ever have had in the first place.
And these are the same people who don't appreciate anything except the money mot
ive or something produced only by that.
7Recommend
ellie chapel hill, nc 7 days ago
I do worry that most people won't ever have a defining moment that spins them in
an altruistic, life-changing direction. The majority of us need to pay attentio
n to the everyday examples of helping others in a consistent and devoted way. Th
ese don't have to be grand movements; simple can be life-changing, too. I don't
think people who are actually doing the good works are searching for or would ev
en say that they have an "inner light." Unselfish people don't have time for suc
h self-reflection. Sometimes you just have to keep doing the good works and ther
e is great beauty and satisfaction in that.

5Recommend
mary PA 7 days ago
Every trait is double edged. It has a softness and a hardness. There's no right
in the abstract.
2Recommend
Judy New York 7 days ago
What a beautiful mind David Brooks has and just the inspiration I needed for a S
unday morning. (But I have to admit he had me at his use of the feminine pronoun
!) Thank you!
8Recommend
JH CT 7 days ago
David Brooks is searching for meaning in his life. Realizing the hourglass runs
out and saying "Who do I want to be?" in his twilight years, while perhaps there
is still time to make a mark, or maybe-- experience true happiness--the happine
ss and contentment that he sees in other people who have found their life's call
ing? But he forgets that his life's calling has provided millions of people with
information, perspective, and knowledge and helped them shape their vision of t
heir lives and the world. Maybe what he is lamenting is that he didn't generate
this through some selfless, altruistic goal of making the world a better place.
He didn't suffer enough. Or, maybe he did. (Deadlines are a horror). But he did
well and he did good through his work--even if that wasn't necessarily his inten
tion. I'm not sure suffering has to be a prerequisite to salvation, but I might
be in the minority.
9Recommend
Cheri Tucson 7 days ago
A country that allows school employees who cheated on tests to be sentenced to 3
5 years in prison while the bankers who bankrupted tens of thousands of our fell
ow Americans were never even indicted for their criminal behavior is morally ban
krupt...no matter how you define morality. Mr. Brooks, if you want to be eulogiz
ed as moral you will need to stop defending the economic status quo and start ad
vocating for the rights of working people.
59Recommend
Daniel12 Wash. D.C. 7 days ago
What is a good person? Does goodness lead to true happiness? Is this synonymous
with "enlightenment"?
My belief is that we live in an age in which there is a crisis with respect to d
efinition of "goodness" and that this crisis will only increase. Over history we
have seen something of this progression: Generally few people step forward as g
ood, courageous, etc. and this goodness is usually defined by people by actions
such as "helping the poor" (the list of good things, ways to be) and the good pe
ople, those who follow the path arrive at a deep satisfaction with life, happine
ss, even though often missing the lesser values such as money, status, power, et
c. and the entirety of this progression is often equated with "enlightenment".
The problem in our age of overpopulation, environmental degradation, etc. is tha
t no route at all can be taken for granted as good let alone a person find deep
satisfaction in choices made--that is, if a person is honest. As for enlightenme
nt--well, perhaps that still exists. Is it good to bring millions out of poverty
? Can the planet handle that? Good to prevent sickness? I suppose I am bad for s
aying all this...My experience of being connected to the human race--feeling the
whole in mindfulness sense--is to feel immense suffering and no obvious course
of fixing suffering, no obvious "good" course, and certainly nothing of stable h
appiness. However in a certain sense I am enlightened--enlightened about a trage
dy about which I can do little.

2Recommend
A Hayes Toronto 7 days ago
What a lovely piece. But I should probably learn to skip reading the comments af
terwards. I'm discouraged by the number of readers that think that this column s
hould be interpreted through a Republican vs. Democrat lens. (Maybe it's easier
to appreciate David Brooks if you don't live in the United States.)
15Recommend
KB Plano,Texas 7 days ago
'Being good' is the basic challenge for human life and all of us trying to reach
that state consciously or unconsciously. Only two practices is recommended by E
astern thought that can take a person to that state - discrimination and non-att
achment. Discrimination is to understand the difference between real and unreal,
truth and false , knowledge and ignorance at every point in life. And non-attac
hment is to become free from material and intelectual desire, free oneself from
chasing name and fame and become fearless. This is a difficult path - as Somerse
t Moughm said walking on rezer edge. Once a person can do that and reach this st
ate of personhood, he can deal this world vigorously and become the lighthouse f
or many - we feel elevated in presence of them.
The difficulty of a rational and scientific society - how we can keep the positi
ve effects of material success and still reach that state - we get confused and
accept a piece of rock as diamond and chase a wrong path.
5Recommend
ydtxdem houston, tx 7 days ago
David, you make references in your article to the admirable good deeds people li
ke Dorothy Day and Frances Perkins accomplished largely for the poor and downtro
dden, and the "outstretched arm" of the stumbler, ready to receive and offer ass
istance, and your cogent reference to "eulogy virtues". Aren't your tredding on
thin ice? You sound suspiciously like a Democrat.
8Recommend
leslied3 Virginia 7 days ago
Oh, my greatest hope is that David Brooks, who really seems like a good person,
is choosing to eschew those dog-eat-dog, me-first values he supports in the Repu
blican Party. There is always hope.
11Recommend
Bill Gordon Missouri USA 7 days ago
"To be happy, be compassionate. To make others happy, be compassionate" (Dalai L
ama)
13Recommend
Dr. Bob Solomon Edmonton, Canada 7 days ago
Thank you for the moral uplift and paean to left-of-center figures. I certainly
agree that these attitudes are a positive contribution to discourse.
I guess for non-resume morality, you want me to vote for Rand Paul, doctor w/o b
oard-ers approval, or Cruz, the eternal nay-sayer, or Jeb the non-Hispanic Hispa
nic, or Bachman, the tireless crusader against injections of autism, or Perry, t
he guy who can't count past 2, or the neurosurgeon who opposes MediCare, ObamaCa
re, and any care for the non-carefree.I do not doubt your sincere care for moral
leadership, just wonder how you can hold that, describe Obama-like qualities wh
en praising Lincoln, and walk a straight line. Tell us which GOPer has the Linco
ln's spiritual qualities, Perkins' concern for government aid for the poor, and
Day's leftist concept of society. If you say Romney or Santorum or Palin or McCa
in, I'll know this column was meant for April 1st.

19Recommend
SteveRR CA 7 days ago
Mr. Brooks conflates supererogatory behavior with moral behavior.
Although some religions do this - there is no reason to believe that they are th
e same thing - although both can be laudable.
One can be very moral - indeed it is probably more sustainable for most folks to
be moral without the requirement to go beyond.
1Recommend
Bruce Ms 7 days ago
At least you are looking in the right direction.
At this crucial, strategic moment in our world, we are unable to understand why?
What is good or moral? Why do you offer up moral idealism in a world that so la
cks the shared ideals that can motivate us to find this commitment, humility, lo
ve, selflessness and conscience that you so long for? Politics and Religions don
't do it. Christianity is inadequate to the task. Our history of and present ded
ication to religious hatred and bloodletting so obviously shows us a yawning cli
ff edge. The evolution of our morals- from being based on Christ, Mohamed, Yahwe
h or whatever- to a new understanding that sees pure shared human wellbeing as t
he source and conscience- as our ultimate evolution- is all we have left, if we
have yet time enough to mature to that final understanding.
1Recommend
ach
7 days ago
Erikson described a task of late adulthood as the development of Generativity, a
sense of hopefulness and helpfulness to guide and smooth the way for the next g
eneration, a commitment of "giving back". Your column seems to represent an admi
rable shift toward others. Its mystifying to me how someone who has such deeply
held conservative values can also be capable of this kind of insight, because ou
r planet has been sorely in need of some Governmental Generativity for a while,
and your voice has been somewhat contradictory on this score. Redemption awaits,
and change is possible.
3Recommend
h s Albany, ny 7 days ago
What a wonderful, thoughtful essay by one of our greatest minds. How very sad, t
hen, to read through the responding comments and see how how many miss the point
. Just rip up your list of people, parties whatever that you spend so much time
and energy hating, and try to be a better person. Like roadrage, give up your "l
ife rage" and help just one other person--someone other than yourself.
7Recommend
fast&furious the new world 7 days ago
I didn't forge my character worrying about whether I'm capable of deep love.
I forged my character being uninsured because of a pre-existing condition and st
ruggling with illness. Then enduring bankruptcy. Then homelessness. Then contemp
t when I used my food stamps.
I don't know what planet you live on with these concerns, sir. I lived in homele
ss shelters and met fine, loving, God-fearing people suffering there. These were
the people society brands its dregs and some of them were better than me and I
admired their decency. They weren't lit from within or ennobled by their sufferi
ng. Their lives were frightening and exhausting.
Mr. Brooks, I believe you put this focus on the nobility of suffering/feeling de
eply because it makes it easier to feel okay when you see people suffering great

material privation. You convince yourself that suffering puts them on a fast tr
ack to goodness since they aren't sitting around thinking about trivial matters
like whether they kid will get into Princeton.
I don't care for you homilies about deepening yourself and experiencing great lo
ve. I heard the same stuff from Mitt Romney's mouth - when he wasn't saying priv
ately that half of the good people of this country are moochers and takers.
There's no spiritual beauty in being homeless, exhausted or hungry. Stop listeni
ng to Paul Ryan - he doesn't know. And for sure there's no spiritual beauty in b
elieving that living in pain and squalor ennobles people. Jesus wept, sir.
35Recommend
Anna CA 7 days ago
Great article, especially at times when human success ,acceptance and respect is
measured by money and fame, not how they got there or how they achieved their g
oals, as long as they can show it, this is what matters. we have a huge moral ga
p in our culture, maybe more than ever. I wish every one would read and discuss
this article.
I'm a grandchild of Armenian genocide survivor, I grew up with all their stories
of sacrifice, hardship, faith, and moral strength, millions lost their lives fo
r their moral believes, and yet almost 100 years later it is still not recognize
d as a genocide in US and some other countries, but today we are getting global
attention, not because of the lost heroes, instead because of a famous reality s
how star, who is famous for everyone knows why!!! because she is half Armenians
and is visiting her ancestorial home, at one hand it is good millions of her fol
lowers are getting to know Armenia, on the other hand by someone that if any of
those survivors were alive today, I know what names they would be calling her, j
ust lets say it would not be in the moral and kind or being proud category, but
this is the stark reality of today,and many will argue with me, that I'm old fas
hioned and out of line, since she is famous, beautiful and rich, everything else
should be ignored.
well then what are we teaching to our kids and the future generations. thanks ag
ain for opening this important and often forgotten dialogue.
1Recommend
Eaton Lattman Buffalo, NY 7 days ago
A recent study suggests that the most deeply held prejudices in the US are not r
acial or religious, but rather political. People are more frightened of Democrat
s (or Republicans) than of other groups. Stereotyping is part and parcel of thes
e prejudices. David Brooks is a Republican. This does not mean he identifies wit
h all topics on the agendas of all stripes of Republicans. I am a lifelong Democ
rat, but there are plenty of things about my party's agenda that I am not too ha
ppy about. So, dismissing David's column by saying that it is written by someone
who lives in a political party with dismal views on various topics is a non-thi
nking response.
So let us have more substantive discussion. How many truly good people can socie
ty afford? Is the intense energy and commitment required for the creative proces
s inconsistent with the moral stumbling described in the column?
This is one of the best columns I have read this year, by anyone. Do not trivial
ize it by ad hominem arguments.
11Recommend
Uttam Jain Cambridge, MA 7 days ago
These are some wonderful words to live by, David. Recently, I came across simila
r powerful words from a millenia ago, and I thought you and the Times's readers
might appreciate them:

"Lord, make
Where there
Where there
Where there
Where there
Where there
Where there

me
is
is
is
is
is
is

an instrument of thy peace.

hatred, let me sow love;
injury, pardon;
doubt, faith;
despair, hope;
darkness, light;
sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."
(Source: http://www.easwaran.org/the-prayer-of-st-francis.html)
This a translation of St. Francis' prayer by Eknath Easwaran, one of those peopl
e, as you say, who radiated an inner light, and similar to one we want to be.
11Recommend
kabukicondo Roseville, CA 7 days ago
David--excellent essay. Now your task is to suggest policies that reflect the to
lerance and compassion suggested by the experiences of the people you cited as e
xamples. Tell us how to change the direction of American corporate capitalism so
the Perkins and Days are the multitude.
12Recommend
Jon Davis NM 7 days ago
Nonetheless, the reality is more similar to what Francis Fukuyama wrote in "The
End of History" (1989):
"The end of history will be a very sad time. The struggle for recognition, the w
illingness to risk one's life for a purely abstract goal, the worldwide ideologi
cal struggle that called forth daring, courage, imagination, and idealism, will
be replaced by economic calculation, the endless solving of technical problems,
environmental concerns, and the satisfaction of sophisticated consumer demands.
In the post-historical period there will be neither art nor philosophy, just the
perpetual care taking of the museum of human history..."
1Recommend
NYT Pick
Marge Keller Chicago 7 days ago
Thank you for sharing this rich template of self enhancement. It has the capabil
ity for people to develop unlimited potential in becoming more gracious and gene
rous throughout their lives.
The wonderful examples given really do put things in perfect perspective because
each one made a conscious effort and decision to make changes within their own
lives which consequently benefited others greatly.
Merely being content with my lot in life often times leaves me feeling empty, mi
lling about aimlessly with no real sense of fulfillment or joy or purpose This a
rticle was like a slap across my face, waking me to what really should matter in
life. At the end of each day, I should be questioning how I could be a better p
erson to myself and others. This kind of self-reflection is essential and necess
ary in attaining inner happiness, love and sustainability of the soul.
41Recommend
Richard NM 7 days ago
Mr. Brooks is setting new landmarks for cognitive dissonances.

But then: we have been told by prominent Republicans that they are eligible to s
et their own reality.
Who winders?
1Recommend
yellow rose texas 7 days ago
A beautiful and uplifting piece. THANK YOU David. I was a bit surprised by all t
he "sour grapes" of the comments. Upon closer reading of these comments, I heard
much competitiveness and resentment. I once heard a rabbi say that his job incl
uded comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. GO DAVID!
7Recommend
Stourley Kracklite White Plains, NY 7 days ago
The well-intentioned but poorly-informed have a champion in Brooks. "Amen," I he
ar the legion whisper collectively, sip their last drop of coffee, then head out
to bungle the world again anew.
3Recommend
Steve Fankuchen Oakland, CA 7 days ago
Brooks has gotten more interesting, more relevant as he has strayed further and
further from politics. His introspection provides ample food for thought, agreem
ent not necessary.
Many commenters will again yell at him for not denouncing the Republican Party i
n this column, or some variation of such. In doing so they are cheating themselv
es. Most certainly one can criticize things Brooks has written, said, and done.
However, if one gives in to the easy, intellectually lazy, Manichean impulse and
simply ignores the substance of what Brooks is currently writing, then one is t
he real loser, waylaid by one's own doing you-know-what into the wind.
To waste one's energy reading Brooks just to chastise him seems an incredible wa
ste of one's time and energy. I, for one, largely ignore those whose writings do
not engender respect from me. However, I suppose those who are prone to do youknow-what into the wind are also likely to do you-know-what on a hydrant, trying
to stake out turf, oblivious to the indifference of all but those others crowdi
ng around the same hydrant.
One line alone in this piece makes it worthwhile, even if you look no farther:
"It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the rsum virtues and the e
ulogy virtues."
8Recommend
Michael Kubara Cochrane Alberta 7 days ago
"wonderful people are made, not born"
Plato/Socrates asked "Why are the children of the virtuous sometimes not so? Can
virtue be taught? Is it a by nature (vs "second nature")? Or a gift from the go
ds?
Homer, Calvin and Martin Luther took the "gift" line--following Paul's "divine g
race"--perhaps a reward for faith--making irrational dogmatic belief the root "g
ift."
The James advocated "salvation by good works "(vs faith alone). But the question
remains--"Whence the will/drive for good works?"
Socrates argued paradoxically that virtue (in general) could and could not be ta
ught: "Could"--in principle--it is knowledge; but "could not"--in practice--none

have the knowledge and will to teach it.

Plato and Aristotle distinguished know-how from "know-truths" and their variatio
ns on education--teaching principles vs skills--requiring practice--habituation.
Plato's "Politeia" outlined an education system for teaching both. But also rec
ognizing that "nature" plays a part too--in effect genetically based virtues/tal
ents/abilities--making "second nature" easier for some and allowing them to go f
arther.
The Calvinism-Capitalism ties were outlined by Tawney--the rich are deserving du
e to a god's selection--not due to tax law.
Nonsense. But the "making of wonderful people" is not a matter of self creation
either. That Sartrean "individualism" makes school systems irrelevant--punting v
irtue back to the gods and their dealers. We now know what damage that does.
2Recommend
Vinod Srihari Hamden 7 days ago
A thoughtful and moving essay. Brooks' image of a moral life as a kind of advent
ure or even battle against oneself, invoked an older image - from the Mahabharat
a - of Arjuna standing paralyzed before a difficult task. Commentaries on this e
pisode of the myth have suggested several distinct pathways out of such moral pa
ralyses - often translated as the path of devotion (to someone/something greater
than the self), the path of knowledge (to extinguish the ignorance that produce
s the problem) or the path of action (doing what needs to be done for the proble
m). This is a simple account of those threads, but there are echoes in Brooks' e
ssay of a very old conversation that needs to continue. Gurcharan Das ('The Diff
iculty of Being Good', 2009) added a novel idea to the traditional rendering abo
ve. He asked: what would have been said before the great battle if Siddhartha (p
ost-enlightenment) and not Krishna were Arjuna's charioteer? One implication was
that the Buddhist prescription - of a combination of deep knowledge of our pred
icament in the world (panna) and compassion for the suffering of others (karuna)
- might have resulted in a different course than the genocidal war that followe
d. I cannot imagine what that course might have been - after all, assertive dipl
omacy had been tried, and the cruel Kauravas could not be left to rule - but I d
aily appreciate the costs of this failure of imagination (on my part) in the sma
ller and less outwardly bloody battles of daily life.
5Recommend
david pattaya 7 days ago
I am reminded of Carl R. Rogers' interest in the quest for meaning. A book he wr
ote explores this issue: "On Becoming A Person."
A couple of quotes of his come to mind; not from that book, I think. One is, "Th
e curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change."
and, "What I am is good enough if I would only be it openly."
8Recommend
R. Karch Silver Spring 7 days ago
It is a relief today, from a kind of oppression thrust so often by columnists wh
o delve into the problems of a nation, to see Mr. Brooks' concern for matters be
yond the circumscription of things by simply our human condition ...
And such a circumscription such as prescribed by the preponderating 'leaders' in
industry & government.
That there is anything to ponder, anything that can really amaze us, seems lost
upon a generation so self-consumed in the matters of economics and simply 'makin
g a living'.
We need to aspire to a higher consciousness ... more than ever in our present co
ndition, in so secularized a society .
Because it is not mentally-healthy to have lost so much of inner mental or spiri

tual resources with which to cope with anything society, journalists, and politi
cians thrust upon us.
We become unwittingly, prey to being used for purposes which work against us, ag
ainst our actual best interests. In other words, too easily led, so falsely led,
into what they so often want us to think is what counts, a material 'well-being
' exactly such as those in power: in government, in media, in the business world
, want us to subscribe to. So they keep thrusting it upon us, and leading us ine
xorably, to 'believe in', which really amounts to a false idolatry. So fewer peo
ple can adhere to any really non hypocritical way of thinking or believing.
4Recommend
lindy tucker florida 7 days ago
Perhaps we need to be telling young people that not only is it important for the
ir own self-interest to "follow their bliss" as the saying goes, to identify wha
t it is that they are drawn to and go for it - but it is important for society a
t large. Self-actualized people , people who are doing what they are doing becau
se it is in harmony with their nature, are people who generally speaking, will c
ontribute to society and mature as individuals; they will be able to endure the
inevitable struggles that will shape and strengthen their moral backbone. Whethe
r the contribution is concrete or abstract., whether it is a vocation or an avoc
ation, society is nourished by people who are energized and fulfilled. "Imagine
what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old,
shared a little of what he is good at doing." Quincy Jones.
2Recommend
JBC Indianapolis 7 days ago
Might I suggest that Mr. Brooks consider create a Rhetorical Device Bucket List
for his future columns so that he might expand beyond the tiring and repetitive
"this or that" dichotomies he so often uses? The world is rarely as rigid or as
black and white as the false frameworks he creates.
4Recommend
acd upstate ny 7 days ago
Applying the Golden Rule of treating people the way you would like to be treated
is very enabling in ones pursuit of a virtuous existence. Keeping this at the f
orefront of ones thoughts is difficult at best in our culture where our definiti
on of success focuses on what you have with little value given to how you got th
ere.
People who fight the good fight, so to say, in their pursuit of a valued existen
ce are the ones who are not typically found in the main stream of our culture, t
hey live more on the sidelines than in the limelight. Perhaps it is time for tho
se of us who value integrity over possessions to be more vocal in the face of th
e reality of our main stream culture that has run afoul of traditional values.
2Recommend
Curious George The Empty Quarter 7 days ago
Goodness to me is about having a realistic idea about oneself. To consider yours
elf a 'pundit' is not a good start.....a journalist, however excellent, can only
ever be seeking the truth, not proclaiming it. A sense of realism also comes fr
om the humility of not considering oneself superior to others because of one's s
tation in life. There is absolutely nothing, for example, that makes a journalis
t (or a banker, or a professor) intrinsically better than a garbage collector or
burger flipper....and to think otherwise is to be seduced by a dangerous fantas
y. A deeper sense of realism emerges from the identification of oneself as the e
ternal, universal and unchanging spirit....as opposed to the ego, which is only
a fragile mental construct. There can be no real peace without the ability to fo
rgive....others, to be sure, but also oneself. Then there is the ability to be s
atisfied with what one has, and to seek out joy and aesthetic appreciation in th
e humdrum events of daily life; the alternative is to become utterly mundane. Bu

t perhaps the most essential element of virtue (and from that, happiness) is the
restoring of childlike innocence, which is so easily corrupted and contorted in
this often harsh and brutal world.
3Recommend
tomjoad New York 7 days ago
"But people on the road to character understand that no person can achieve selfmastery on his or her own."
David Brooks
Additional point: I also recall being Hillary Clinton attacked and ridiculed by
all those "self-made" conservatives for her "It takes a village (to raise a chil
d)" speeches. Perhaps those conservatives never traveled on the "road to charact
er" which Mr. Brooks so eloquently describes?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Takes_a_Village
4Recommend
Beth South Hadley MA 7 days ago
This is a wonderful article, but I was struck by what is missing: the word "valu
es". A person's values are probably the strongest motivator for action (after sa
tisfying basic needs), and people will organize their actions around their value
s whether they realize it or not - hence the maxim "actions speak louder than wo
rds". But people do get confused by external pressures, or by what they think th
ey should do.
A useful exercise for anyone who is feeling "lost" because their life isn't maki
ng sense is to find some quiet time to reflect on what their values are, true va
lues, not what they wish their values were. Write them down and put them in orde
r of importance. Then look for all the ways to align your actions with your valu
es and stop doing those things that aren't in alignment. It is simple, but it's
not easy. It will take time, but over time you will find that you are living a v
alue-centered life that matches your own values.
5Recommend
Jack Dermody Phoenix, AZ 7 days ago
I would add a paragraph -- no, maybe three or four paragraphs -- under the "grat
efulness" attribute about life's many joyful times, including those of self-indu
lgence. Mr. Brooks is right about everything but, like nearly all treatises on m
orality, this one comes off more dour than sweet. I grew up surrounded by folks
who "did the right thing," but who rarely had enough fun -- in my eyes, anyway.
Recommend
Andy Albany NY 7 days ago
How do ideological posturing, political mudslinging and ad hominem attacks help
this conversation?
2Recommend
Gmasters Frederick, Maryland 7 days ago
There are many times I disagree with David Brooks but as I watch him interact wi
th Mark Shields and have seen his reports, I have sensed a person I could like.
This may be the reason.
2Recommend
Julie New Mexico 7 days ago
A great article. I wish people would stop bashing David Brooks in a knee-jerk re
action. Yeah, I disagree with a lot of his politics. But it's articles like thes
e that he's at his best. This article speaks of issues that are relevant to ever
yone.

5Recommend
John LeBaron MA 7 days ago
I know I might be setting the bar is rather low, but "as long as you are not obv
iously hurting anybody and people seem to like you, you must be OK" sounds OK to
me. We have an entire political class at home and abroad that would do very wel
l to aspire to such a lofty level of moral achievement.
We're not even close.
2Recommend
Timothy Tucson 7 days ago
There is clearly a class of people, and they are not defined by political affill
iation, that can benefit from David's remarks, and as it seems, the example he i
s setting on this 'moral quest.' But I have to say that the people David often d
efends will exploit this to no end, as has been the case more often than not. Da
vid's most recent efforts being directed at the religious freedom crowd who for
nearly two thousand years exploited those they should have been serving, Yes, th
ose possed of an over abundance of self centeredness which seems to have helped
them achieve, could expand themselves by a sense of self-abnegation, in the serv
ice of something higher than personal victories. But for most of the rest of fol
ks who are sacrificed in the service of actualizing the values and lifestyles of
the few elites, this is hogwash. Their first step should be a denial of the lar
ger worlds demands on them, and ask themselves: "Is this what I want?" Is this w
hat is serving my needs?" "Am I really content with the bulk of the fruits of my
labors being consumed by others?" Only then can they find an authentic path tha
t serves others, while they serve themselves. There is a larger moral discourse
that forms part of what David is suggesting here. But more often than not it has
served the intersts of a few at the expense of most others.
1Recommend
Steve Fankuchen Oakland, CA 7 days ago
Brooks has gotten more interesting, more relevant as he has strayed further and
further from politics. His introspection provides ample food for thought, agreem
ent of little relevance.
Many commenters will again yell at him for not denouncing the Republican Party i
n this column, or some variation of such. Actually, in doing so they are cheatin
g themselves. Most certainly one can criticize things Brooks has written, said,
and done. However, if one gives in to the easy, intellectually lazy, Manichean i
mpulse and simply ignores the substance of what Brooks is currently writing, the
n one is the real loser, waylaid by one's own doing you-know-what into the wind.
One line alone in this piece makes it worthwhile, even if you look no farther: "
It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the rsum virtues and the eu
logy virtues."
To waste one's energy reading Brooks just to chastise him seems an incredible wa
ste of one's time and energy. I, for one, largely ignore those whose writings do
not engender respect from me. However, I suppose those who are prone to do youknow-what into the wind are also likely to do you-know-what on a hydrant, trying
to stake out turf, oblivious to the indifference of all but those others crowdi
ng around the same hydrant..
3Recommend
rebecca1048 Iowa 7 days ago
(Sundays with Brooks?). David, maybe you are selling yourself short ---- this "g
enerosity of spirit" and this "moral bucket list" -- maybe you are already there
? Everyone is given gifts --- yours is to write on Tuesdays and Fridays and stir

us up, and you are doing a good job! However, I

true leanings, especially if you admire the work
u are caught in comparing yourself to those that
ver -- someone has to cook. And, then, there are
p, and the list goes on.

am a little suspicious of your

of Frances Perkins? I think, yo
serve and not everyone is a ser
those that need to prepare, sho

1Recommend
Rose St. Louis 7 days ago
Mr. Brooks, there is a quite simple set of instructions for making oneself the k
ind of person you describe, one who radiates an "inner light." It is the Great S
ermon on the Mount. As you exit the Republican Party (as you must if you are sin
cere), or are evicted from it because of columns like yours today, you might pro
vide the Party with a copy of the Great Sermon. Seems few of them have heard of
it.
1Recommend
Richard Dorman Pennsylvania 7 days ago
Mr. Brooks,
Perhaps among your most wonderful and meaningful essays. Thank you.
5Recommend
Steve Fort Myers,Fl 7 days ago
It is always humbling when I encounter these souls.
2Recommend
Tom F. Lewisberry, PA. 7 days ago
Having spent my share of time and money on therapists and self-help books, medit
ation, medication, physical challenges, and career achievement, It seems to me t
hat if you want to become a better person, one such as Mr brooks describes, ther
e isn't a clearer path than working a 12-step program.
"Progress, not perfection" as they say. We are not saints.
3Recommend
Angel Paternina Cartagena, Colombia 7 days ago
I just feel a disconnect between what is said here and some of the other columns
defending the GOP.
Conservatism is well, most of us want to live under the framework of current soc
iety. Some others would like improvements that would sooner or later become main
stream. For example, minority rights became mainstream after a long struggle, an
d now it is part of what society should keep and 'conserve'.
But political parties are another thing, lacking the integrity to call themselve
s moral, specially the GOP. It seems to me racism, and bigotry are tolerated, an
d where the line "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" seems one of the principle
s of opposition. It also seems that ideas and policies that would benefit societ
y as a whole are rejected by the GOP on the basis of party affiliation of the pr
oposer rather than on its own merits. And despite Obama has not done much to rec
ognize the opponent, specially at the beginning of the first term, the oppositio
n to Obama seems more hidden racism than anything else, as if the elected leader
of USA does not have one good policy idea.
Mr. Brooks, it seems hypocrite to me to write this article and at the same time
defend a political party that seems amoral to me. Maybe if you did not have the
cowardice to ignore the contradictions in the GOP and its disregard for truth an
d honor, I would believe you.
I am sorry Mr. Brooks, I really believe you are more moral than you appear, but

your survival instinct I think have the upper hand.

3Recommend
WFGersen Etna, NH 7 days ago
Brooks is right in his observation that "...our culture and our educational syst
ems spend more time teaching the skills and strategies you need for career succe
ss than the qualities you need to radiate (an) inner light. Many of us are clear
er on how to build an external career than on how to build inner character." Our
culture is based on the capitalist premise that the acquisition of things will
make us happy, that happiness comes from the outside and not the inside. Consequ
ently the value of our schools is based on their ability to prepare students for
careers that are financially rewarding and they rely on external reward mechani
sms. If we wanted schools that focus on character development we would eliminate
the ranking of students and schools based on test scores and emphasize collabor
ation over competition.
1Recommend
klm atlanta 7 days ago
It seems to me being worried about what people will say about you at your funera
l is a strange motivation for changing your life. Sounds kind of self-centered,
Mr. Brooks.
2Recommend
Jennifer MN 7 days ago
Interesting examples. My jaw dropped when Brooks repudiated the individualist wo
rldview as not sufficient for reaching our highest purpose. Is he about to make
a "conscience leap" away from the GOP? He seems conflicted, and today's GOP give
s him much to be conflicted about.
4Recommend
freyda ny 7 days ago
"But people on the road to inner light do not find their vocations by asking, wh
at do I want from life? They ask, what is life asking of me? How can I match my
intrinsic talent with one of the world s deep needs?" Life is asking of me at this
minute that I write a note to Hillary Clinton who has a chance to match her int
rinsic talent with the world's deep needs and beg her to add Elizabeth Warren to
her ticket as running mate. You have some popularity but you need to add greate
r courage and idealism to your list of skills. Warren knows what life is asking
of her. It is to protect democracy for the people of this country and, at least
by our example, for the world. Together you could set our entire nation on the r
oad to inner light. Together you could take up the banner of change and hope. Ot
herwise, the boys will outspend and outtalk you and a great opportunity for huma
nity will be lost.
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Airline Hater Boston 7 days ago
Mr. Brooks, this may be the most important column you've ever written...