David Brooks has spent more than five years thinking about how to give life meaning after worldly success failed to fulfill him. A thought-provoking commentary on the rampant individualism that has become the defining ethos of our culture, The Second Mountain is a deeply personal and moving exploration of what it means to lead a joyful life.
Brooks describes a life defined by two mountains. He posits that we climb the first mountain to attain the normal goals that our culture endorses - success, social acceptance, happiness. If the first mountain is about building up the ego and defining the self, the second mountain is about shedding the ego, contributing to our communities, and binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom and choice, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, and fostering deeper relationships. We have taken individualism to an extreme degree, and, in the process, we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways.
Brooks is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and appears regularly on PBS NewsHour and Meet the Press. He is the bestselling author of several books, including The Road to Character and The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement.
All tickets include a hardcover copy of The Second Mountain. A limited quantity of VIP Experience tickets area available, including reserved front-section seating, a hardcover book, and a Fast Track pass for the book signing.
David Brooks has spent more than five years thinking about how to give life meaning after worldly success failed to fulfill him. A thought-provoking commentary on the rampant individualism that has become the defining ethos of our culture, The Second Mountain is a deeply personal and moving exploration of what it means to lead a joyful life.
Brooks describes a life defined by two mountains. He posits that we climb the first mountain to attain the normal goals that our culture endorses - success, social acceptance, happiness. If the first mountain is about building up the ego and defining the self, the second mountain is about shedding the ego, contributing to our communities, and binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom and choice, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, and fostering deeper relationships. We have taken individualism to an extreme degree, and, in the process, we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways.
Brooks is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and appears regularly on PBS NewsHour and Meet the Press. He is the bestselling author of several books, including The Road to Character and The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement.
All tickets include a hardcover copy of The Second Mountain. A limited quantity of VIP Experience tickets area available, including reserved front-section seating, a hardcover book, and a Fast Track pass for the book signing.
David Brooks has spent more than five years thinking about how to give life meaning after worldly success failed to fulfill him. A thought-provoking commentary on the rampant individualism that has become the defining ethos of our culture, The Second Mountain is a deeply personal and moving exploration of what it means to lead a joyful life.
Brooks describes a life defined by two mountains. He posits that we climb the first mountain to attain the normal goals that our culture endorses - success, social acceptance, happiness. If the first mountain is about building up the ego and defining the self, the second mountain is about shedding the ego, contributing to our communities, and binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom and choice, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, and fostering deeper relationships. We have taken individualism to an extreme degree, and, in the process, we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways.
Brooks is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times and appears regularly on PBS NewsHour and Meet the Press. He is the bestselling author of several books, including The Road to Character and The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement.
All tickets include a hardcover copy of The Second Mountain. A limited quantity of VIP Experience tickets area available, including reserved front-section seating, a hardcover book, and a Fast Track pass for the book signing.