I chose this book after listening to an interview on "Fresh Air". The part of the interview that caught my attention was when Brooks discussed the U-curve, which references the fact that each person in his book had to go down to go up. "Descending in to the valley of humility to climb to the heights of character."
I am currently teaching a class where I am trying to help students realize their ability to succeed and more than academic strategies my students need understanding, perspective and grit. They take the easier road and haven't learned how to persevere through adversity. I am hoping to find a different perspective in order to become more articulate and relate these ideas to my students more clearly.
I am highlighting phrases that have made me pause and reflect on my own attitudes and beliefs and I have written some margin notes to remind me of thoughts or ask questions.
June 8, 2015
A small departure from the Road to Character by David Brooks... As a teacher I try to always immerse myself in varied types of literature and when my best friend Hannah's book the Lake Season was released I was compelled to read it, clearly neglecting my other responsibilities!! t I wrote the following review for Amazon.
The Road to Character by David Brooks
July 17, 2015
As you read my post you will find bold words, these are presented to show the lenses Brooks uses when defining different aspects of character or behaviors that shaped particular character traits. All the bold words in this post are sub-headings and names of chapters from the book.
Brooks is fascinated by people and their choices, how they became who they were and what were the mitigating factors involved. He breaks down the most minute pieces of character and expands them into mini-thesises. He wants the reader to gain perspective and reflect on their own choices and upbringing. How can we do better? What is really important?
He diverges for a brief few pages into the meaning of sin and how it has changed over the years. "Sin is a necessary piece of our mental furniture because it reminds us that life is a moral affair." He wrestles with the notion of errors (individual)vs. sins (communal) and how rarely people commit big sins out of the blue because they usually reflect a pattern of behavior. Sin, Brooks argues, is necessary for character building.
Back to Ida, character was developed through self-control therefore she believed temptation must be minimized. She was tender and seemed to have a bottomless supply of love for her children because she knew that love could build character as well. Brooks is creating a framework for how he wants us to see Dwight, the factors that helped define his character. This is the lens from which we will view, judge and better understand the people presented in this book.
Dwight was unlike his mother in that he was rambunctious and not explicitly religious. He was disciplined throughout his young life for misbehavior and having a terrible temper. He became almost convulsive in controlling his behavior. He made decisions and devised strategies that demanded a certain protocol from which he never ventured. A quote from Eisenhower "Always take your job seriously, never yourself." shows how he has grown and defined how the world will see him.
Ultimately Eisenhower was very different person publicly than personally. He maintained such self-control that his diaries suggest his true feelings and thoughts on both people and political matters. His final trait was that of moderation. Towards the end of his presidency he spoke of balance in many letters "making mistakes slowly"
Finally the conclusion reached is that Eisenhower, through the regulation of his mother and the strict upbringing along with his ability to eventually adhere to a system of behaviors, keeping his impulses in check became a successful prominent man and a strong leader.
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