In the early 60s a more individualistic culture emerged, breaking through many of the chains that held down women and oppressed minorities. However, as David explains, it had also failings, such as tolerance for racism and barriers against professional women, which ultimately made it intolerable. Our old moral ecology had a lot of virtues-emphasized by humility and reticence. At the end of the introduction we explore the meaning of joy, the layers of joy, and the highest form of joy, which he calls the moral joy. If the first mountain is elitist-moving up-the second mountain is egalitarian-planting yourself amid those who need, and walking arm in arm with them.” He decided to study commitment on a continual effort to write his own way to a better life after having failed at significant commitments during his life. If the first mountain is about acquisition, the second mountain is about contribution. David starts off by saying that “if the first mountain is about building up the ego and defining the self, the second mountain is about shedding the ego and losing the self. Right in the beginning we learn how to differentiate the mountains we are meant to climb in life. Having said that, I decided to read it one more time before implementing some of the learnings. Some of my favorite takeaways were: an individualistic mindset can offer a series of experiences but they won’t fulfill us because these experiences aren’t serving a large cause the uncommitted person is the unremembered person when we reach out and build community, we nourish ourselves the completeness of a couple who have been together for years defines a happy marriage being alone in the wilderness brings an array of possibilities and the second mountain is a more generous and satisfying phase of life. I pre-ordered the book because I wanted to explore these commitments in greater detail so I can better contribute to our society. In addition to these aspects, a committed life to our vocation, family, and community is equally important to our overall wellbeing. We know that following a natural eating plan, having restful nights of sleep, moving our physical bodies frequently, and even engaging on spiritual practices are all good ways to preserve our health. Next, I hope to put together a brief summary from each chapter, including short excerpts highlighted while taking notes. First, I’ll share why I chose to read the book and some personal thoughts about the reading. I decided to share a summary of the book to help you draw a more accurate opinion of the content. The book was of great importance in understanding the phases of life, giving me a clear direction toward the second mountain. Once I started reading the book, I had a hard time putting it down. Inspiring, personal and full of joy, this is the start of a deeper journey into the world. What does it mean to elevate your desires, to look beyond consumption and find a moral cause? To forget about independence and discover dependence - to be utterly enmeshed in a web of warm relationships? What does it mean to want intimacy, devotion, responsibility and commitment above individual freedom? In The Second Mountain David Brooks explores the meaning and possibilities that scaling a second mountain offer us, and the four commitments that most commonly move us there- family, vocation, philosophy and community. At this point, you have moved to your second mountain. We want to want the things that are truly worthy of wanting. But at some point in our life we might discover that we're not interested in what other people tell us to want. Are you on your first or second mountain? Is life about yourself or others? Are you self-improving or committed? Mainstream culture teaches us that human beings pursue our self-interest - money, power, fame. When did we stop connecting with other people? David Brooks argues that we can only solve our crisis of meaning at an emotional and moral level.
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