Welcome to Litsy!

This book took me quite a while to finish, some sections I found really good, but others not so much. The author seems to be saying how people all suck now because we don't have morals like people did in the past or something I really don't remember because this book was really boring to me. The section on love was good though.

This wasn‘t what I‘d expected but ended up being a very worthwhile read. The type of book that if you‘re willing to be honest and introspective with yourself, will have you taking a hard look at your own moral compass and whether you‘ve cultivated eulogy virtues, resumé virtues, or both in your life. While many of the historical figures covered were people of faith and their beliefs helped form their characters, this isn‘t a religious book.

Some perversity in our nature leads us to put lower loves above higher ones. We all love and desire a multitude of things: friendship, family, popularity, country, money, and so on.

But we often put our loves out of order.

#character

Among the privileged, especially the privileged young, you see people who have been raised to be approval-seeking machines.

We live in a society that places great emphasis on personal happiness, defined as not being frustrated in the realization of your wants.

The moderate can only hope to achieve a balance that is consistent with the needs of the moment.

#socialcommentary

The median narcissism score has risen 30 percent in the last two decades.

By 2007, 51 percent of young people reported that being famous was one of their top personal goals.

#narcissism #goals #dobetter

Reading one book every day from now until the end of next year! Who wants to take the challenge with me? I alternate between reading and listening at x2! Today‘s book was the road to character. Any suggestions for books for the next year?

Sin is not some demonic thing. It‘s just our perverse tendency to fuck things up.

From David Brooks column in today‘s NYT (3/23), this quote that could have come from this book:

“The basis of human dignity is our capacity to make up our own minds ... people are always more unpredictable than their categories”.

Wow - this was even better than I expected. Brooks presents a thorough look at some of the moral leaders in Western Civilization - from Augustine to leaders of the Civil Rights movement - and highlights how they cultivated character. He ends with a close look at our modern society, & what pitfalls interfere with our own quests for a meaningful life. This was rich, and detailed, and engaging. I recommend it 🙂

I‘ve been bad at keeping up with this month‘s book club picks. Crunch time again. Need to be finished by Tuesday...

Or... why am I here?

From Brooks‘ intro.

Okay, then... let‘s do this.

"In the scheme of things we don't create our lives; we are summoned by life". WOW ??

Overall I enjoyed this read. Not the most interesting but had good point and reminders of humility, as well as good stories of historic less well known people.

The self-effacing person is soothing and gracious, while the self-promoting person is fragile and jarring. Humility is freedom from the need to prove you are superior all the time, but egotism is a ravenous hunger in a small space—self-concerned, competitive, and distinction-hungry. Humility is infused with lovely emotions like admiration, companionship, and gratitude.

This book is focused on reminding us of our humility and using that to build a stronger sense of character for ourselves. I think that anyone who has been through hard times and have lost their way would greatly benefit from this book.