Monday, May 30, 2011

David Brooks, "It’s Not About You"

David Brooks latest New York Times op-ed, "It’s Not About You" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/opinion/31brooks.html?hp), begins:

"Nearly every sensible middle-aged person would give away all their money to be able to go back to age 22 and begin adulthood anew."

Speak for yourself, David. Or perhaps, as many would claim, I am not "sensible".

Brooks's op-ed concludes:

"The purpose in life is not to find yourself. It’s to lose yourself."

Although I agree that the West is consumed by narcissism, this generalization strikes me as trite. The purpose in life for some may be to seek purpose or to "lose oneself" in the pursuit of some noble or greater cause; however, others, less privileged, are consumed by the struggle for physical and economic survival. For me, life's purpose has changed with the years and will continue to undergo modification, granting diversity, satisfaction and also gnawing self-doubt.

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