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When I read Bobos in Paradise many years ago I thought, who wrote this? David Brooks seemed so sure of himself and almost unbearably clever.
But then something happened. At least I suspect this is the case. A life altering event perhaps, transformed Brooks from a pundit to a poet/philosopher. Few, if any of us escape these bumps or crashes on our journey through life, or should I say our journey called life. Brooks is well positioned to address the deeper questions. He has a twice weekly column in The New York Times and a microphone, every week on the PBS show NewsHour. He preaches with passion about things that really matter. He dares to ask, as a certain song from the '60s sang, "What’s it all about, Alfie?"
It. That’s what Brooks continues to hammer at, wrestle with, define. What is IT? What explains us, inspires us, limits us, heals us?
Brooks doesn’t look for easy answers to hard questions. But week after week after week after week, he writes about the deeper things. Basically, what the Bible calls “the deep things of God.” (See I Corinthians, chapter 2, for a fuller explanation)
He rubs a lot of the people wrong way. But Brooks is not a bully. Though he’s not exactly a gentle soul either. His new book, The Road to Character is an easy read on a hard road. Once you start it, there is no turning back.
There is no glibness here, no simple solutions, no one-size-fits-all recipe for how to live a meaningful life. Except for maybe one: Try. Try to have a good life by making good decisions and acting on them. Try to have a good life by thinking of something or someone other than oneself. At least some of the time. Try turns into strive (with effort) and strive becomes never give up (with time).
Another writer that I love, Mary Baker Eddy, once wrote, “The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained now. This point won, you have started as you should….. Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way.” (See Science and Health, page 326 for the complete quotation in context) (concordexpress)
That line fits well with the oped piece Brooks published today. The title is "What is your purpose?" (nytimes.com/opinion/david-brooks)
Your answer is most likely bespoke, but Brooks is a good tailor of ideas, and reading him will help you, if you let him. He once was a bozo who wrote about bobos. Now he’s a voice in the wilderness. He speaks with authority and humility. He’s a character with character.
Give him a read, give him a listen. If he bothers you, that's ok. If he inspires you to try, what's wrong with that?
