The Road to Character by David Brooks

“wisdom isn’t a body of information. It’s the moral quality of knowing what you don’t know and figuring out a way to handle your ignorance, uncertainty, and limitation.” David Brooks

This books studies and shares insights into what builds solid character. As David suggests this book is less about creating resume virtues and more so about creating eulogy virtues. The legacy of one’s life will be praised and remembered not for their successes but more so for their character. This book is not written to inspire and highlight success strategies, it is written for the fundamental purpose to inspire and highlight why character is paramount.

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Brooks views on the modern age is that many of us are driven by individualistic pursuits characterised by a desire for success. This nature he refers to is the Adam 1 that exists within all of us, some more predominantly so than others. The other nature is that of Adam 2, driven with desire to obtain and embody greater moral qualities.

Society is obsessed by the “big me,” a relatively recent condition of our lives that has a focus on the ‘I’ or ‘me’ being the centre of the universe and the all-important. We encourage and tell others that they are great, unique, beautiful and special. We spread message that we all have an amazing innate purpose or mission in life. We can all be rock stars.

The story that we have created is that we have “rights” and these are that of freedom, love, choice, abundance, success, prosperity and the list goes on. They are individualistic in nature and moulded by external forces. The focus on the strengths of the person and aim to minimise, cover or ignore weaknesses, the negative or even what is true.

It is a message of hope. It brings people above the drudgery of our reality and allows people to believe their lives have meaning, self-worth and significance. Very important for one’s wellbeing.

The ego is the greatest protector and supporter of the Adam 1. It avoids what is or may be to protect its pride. It is extrinsically motivated and that is how Adam 1 defines itself.

If we are reliant on only external measures to define who we are then when the externalities of life change, and they inevitably will, what then? Everything we thought we were, is disrupted. Cracks appear in the makeup of our existence and we see our deeper truths. Having never or rarely dealt with these truths we find discomfort, becoming a cause of our suffering.

I believe there are benefits of the Adam 1. It drives most of us to action. It encourages us to search for meaning and purpose backed by positive intent and hope that there is more to life that what we may perceive. It can force us to not accept the true nature of things by questioning our thoughts, beliefs and challenging our behaviours.

Such interrogation of life may ultimately direct us towards finding greater understanding of the Adam 2. Conversely the limitations of Adam 1 are that when effort or momentum is not meet by what we come to expect or think we deserve we may come to a crashing halt followed by lost hope.

Humans don’t have “rights,” they are a manmade. If we believe we are entitled to certain things, fortunes or events and yet never receive them we can quickly revert to a life of acceptance, conformity, negativity and even a reality of victimhood. The reason many give up and fall back into the depths of stagnation.

Where there is a balance between the Adam 1 and the Adam 2 I wish to believe the greatest lives can be lived. As Brooks states, the Adam 2 is focused on building and understanding their own moral qualities. The live to serve. They sacrifice their own needs over that of the collective. They are humble and seek not to hide their weaknesses or limitations but rather expose them. The desire goodness in character over greatness in success.

In my personal experience having been driven by ambitions, desire for riches and success and never confronting my darkness or deeper truth I found a need to move internally. I felt a need to understand my character by questioning everything I thought I knew about who I am and reality as a whole. It only came when I realised how I was living life wasn’t conducive to how I was feeling. A result of not living authentically or covering my vulnerabilities.

The awakening this gave me was that for years I was being guided by external forces and the ego and less by moral wellbeing. The journey I was on was less my own and taking me nowhere rapidly. A journey that has caused me suffering, a journey that’ll cause anyone suffering.

As I have and continue to do the work within I find greater composure to my life. I am ambitious and mindful. Present and purposeful in my pursuit. By far from perfect but finding greater harmony in life by bringing balance to my success virtues and my eulogy virtues.

Brooks has written a really important piece of work. He shares stories of people that have gone about their lives not for success but for character. For each of these people their character has been shaped by living very unique lives. What was highlighted to me and common amongst their stories is that they lived their journey and that was achieved by being their own guide, constantly seeking higher morality important to them.

Enjoy this read!

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If this book sounds of interest you can purchase The Road to Character here.

Please leave your thoughts, comments & questions below.

Peace, passion and purpose…

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