{"product_id":"the-second-mountain-the-quest-for-a-moral-life-9780812993264","title":"The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life","description":"\u003cb\u003e#1 \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER - Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The author of \u003ci\u003eThe Road to Character\u003c\/i\u003e explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Deeply moving, frequently eloquent and extraordinarily incisive.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Every so often, you meet people who radiate joy--who seem to know why they were put on this earth, who glow with a kind of inner light. Life, for these people, has often followed what we might think of as a two-mountain shape. They get out of school, they start a career, and they begin climbing the mountain they thought they were meant to climb. Their goals on this first mountain are the ones our culture endorses: to be a success, to make your mark, to experience personal happiness. But when they get to the top of that mountain, something happens. They look around and find the view . . . unsatisfying. They realize: This wasn't my mountain after all. There's another, bigger mountain out there that is actually \u003ci\u003emy\u003c\/i\u003e mountain. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e And so they embark on a new journey. On the second mountain, life moves from self-centered to other-centered. They want the things that are truly worth wanting, not the things other people tell them to want. They embrace a life of interdependence, not independence. They surrender to a life of commitment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe Second Mountain, \u003c\/i\u003eDavid Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity and beauty of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In short, this book is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it's also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme--and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In \u003ci\u003eThe Second Mountain, \u003c\/i\u003e Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Brooks\u003c\/b\u003e is one of the nation's leading writers and commentators. He is an op-ed columnist for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and appears regularly on \u003ci\u003ePBS NewsHour \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Meet the Press\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Road to Character; The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement; Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There; \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eOn Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (and Always Have) in the Future Tense.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50615109550354,"sku":"9780812993264","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_82cc30aa-debd-4218-8b9b-a9aae9415a2d.jpg?v=1732475253","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-second-mountain-the-quest-for-a-moral-life-9780812993264","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}