{"product_id":"the-second-mountain-by-david-brooks-9780812983425","title":"The Second Mountain","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e#1 \u003cem\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e BESTSELLER • Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The author of \u003cem\u003eThe Road to Character\u003c\/em\u003e explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Deeply moving, frequently eloquent and extraordinarily incisive.”—\u003cem\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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 realise: This wasn’t \u003cem\u003emy\u003c\/em\u003e mountain after all. There’s another, bigger mountain out there that is actually \u003cem\u003emy\u003c\/em\u003e mountain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Second Mountain\u003c\/em\u003e, David 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 fulfilment 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 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 neighbourhood, 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 \u003cem\u003eThe Second Mountain\u003c\/em\u003e, Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the centre of our lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47398058950892,"sku":"9780812983425","price":59.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/12132423482477.jpg?v=1773739481","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/products\/the-second-mountain-by-david-brooks-9780812983425","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}