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jutin623 's review for:
The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life
by David Brooks
Finished second mountain.
I disagreed with many of his approaches and his self-promotion, religious promotion and sometimes ignorant generalizing of things. many times I rolled my eyes or thought, shut up David you're out of touch, old man. Be that as it may, I still feel he has many good points. Summary for myself for later:
Individualism has been the prevailing moral ecology (moral ecology = how we interaction and create relationships and value. System of behavior and microculture sculpted by the way we lead our lives and indirectly encourage others too). It drives us to value certain things and fulfill the desires of the ego - to gain status and make a mark and rise in power and be better. But is lacking and empty, devoid and bankrupt of the desires to live in a community, commit to others, depend on others, surrender to something greater. Leads to acedia and lack of meaning and isolation and not even knowing what is missing. Result is culture of utility-maximizing and workaholic judgmental comparers, sensitive to other people's accomplishments.
Life isn't solitary, it is about relationships. Quality and depth of relationships is how we end up measuring ourselves. Adult life should be about making commitments, promises and mutual giving. A bit inverse logic because you give in order to gain, sacrifice to become stronger.
We become what we desire and worship. Have we educated our emotions to love the right things? feel lack of meaning when we don't have something to feed heart and soul, emotional/moral nourishment. Relationships give us the ability to surpass ego and transform ourselves to pursue bigger journey.
We can still live in our capitalist meritocracy with a worldview that emphasizes community, emotional connection, morality instead of individual, cognitive, utilitarian respectively.
Build community from smaller connections and relationships in order to scale it upwards. Giving, storytelling, singing, projects, ritual, dining, deep conversation. See people at full depths and as a whole person instead of seeing them as data point. It's a constant struggle and battle living in our society, and it's about balancing tensions. Utilizing this moral ecology and giving others subtle nudges to live up to it as well and in doing so, create a society. Only way to do it, through personal contact. Radiate generosity and give themselves in small thoughtful ways. Which, when done over and over, help overcome the division they exists in current society.
I disagreed with many of his approaches and his self-promotion, religious promotion and sometimes ignorant generalizing of things. many times I rolled my eyes or thought, shut up David you're out of touch, old man. Be that as it may, I still feel he has many good points. Summary for myself for later:
Individualism has been the prevailing moral ecology (moral ecology = how we interaction and create relationships and value. System of behavior and microculture sculpted by the way we lead our lives and indirectly encourage others too). It drives us to value certain things and fulfill the desires of the ego - to gain status and make a mark and rise in power and be better. But is lacking and empty, devoid and bankrupt of the desires to live in a community, commit to others, depend on others, surrender to something greater. Leads to acedia and lack of meaning and isolation and not even knowing what is missing. Result is culture of utility-maximizing and workaholic judgmental comparers, sensitive to other people's accomplishments.
Life isn't solitary, it is about relationships. Quality and depth of relationships is how we end up measuring ourselves. Adult life should be about making commitments, promises and mutual giving. A bit inverse logic because you give in order to gain, sacrifice to become stronger.
We become what we desire and worship. Have we educated our emotions to love the right things? feel lack of meaning when we don't have something to feed heart and soul, emotional/moral nourishment. Relationships give us the ability to surpass ego and transform ourselves to pursue bigger journey.
We can still live in our capitalist meritocracy with a worldview that emphasizes community, emotional connection, morality instead of individual, cognitive, utilitarian respectively.
Build community from smaller connections and relationships in order to scale it upwards. Giving, storytelling, singing, projects, ritual, dining, deep conversation. See people at full depths and as a whole person instead of seeing them as data point. It's a constant struggle and battle living in our society, and it's about balancing tensions. Utilizing this moral ecology and giving others subtle nudges to live up to it as well and in doing so, create a society. Only way to do it, through personal contact. Radiate generosity and give themselves in small thoughtful ways. Which, when done over and over, help overcome the division they exists in current society.