The Road to Character (Subject)

The book i chose to read was The Road to Character by David Brooks. He uses this book to teach people what he believes makes people good. He begins the book by separating people into two groups: Adam I and Adam II. Adam I is described as a very selfish person who is only concerned with his own self gain. Brooks implies that this person requires constant validation. On the other hand Adam II is a person who is able to put others needs above their own. Through biographies of people he deems to be exemplars of Adam II qualities, Brooks tells his readers what he believes makes people inherently good. Brooks believes that one quality that will help people be better is recognizing that we are flawed and have weaknesses.  In order to become a better person we must defeat our weaknesses. In the struggle against our weaknesses, humility is our friend. As humans we have tendencies towards selfishness and overconfidence. We all know what is important in our lives yet we tend to pursue things that are shallow and vain. Being humble allows us to know our place and understand that we alone cannot defeat our own weakness. The Only way to try an defeat your weakness is to quiet yourself and mute your ego. Once you can quite yourself you can see the world clearly  and have access to the external sources to strengthen you. In order to quiet yourself you must be reticent, modest, and obedient to something larger than yourself. Sometimes it requires the help of others to deal with your weaknesses. Once you can deal with your weakness you are able to become more mature. Brooks states that the mature person is not necessarily smarter than everyone else and there are no specific traits that make a mature person. A mature person is simply someone who was weak and has now moved into a place of centeredness, is no longer restless, and is no longer confused about the meaning and purpose of life. A mature and centered person is able to make decisions without worrying about negative and positive reactions of other people. While Adam II is able to put others before themselves, they do not necessarily depend on them for validation.

Monica Lyons