Summary Of The Moral Bucket List By David Brooks

The article, “The Moral Bucket List” by David Brooks encompasses how modern day society has stopped focusing on the moralities that make someone a good person and more so on the career qualities they possess and how they can be useful in an occupational setting. He mentions that every once in awhile he stumbles upon a specific type of person, “These people can be in any walk of life. They seem deeply good. They listen well. They make you feel funny and valued. You often catch them looking after other people and as they do so their laugh is musical and their manner is infused with gratitude. They are not thinking about what wonderful work they are doing. They are not thinking about themselves at all,” yet came to the saddening realization that,

It was being trampled by numerous insecurities and fears. Fears of disappointment, failing to meet expectations and letting people down. I didn’t want to lose who I was, the reputation of being a peppy, good hearted person, but the new problem arose that due to my lack of strategies for career success I wouldn’t be able to survive the harsh competition that surrounded me. “But people on the road to character understand that no person can achieve self-mastery on his or her own.” No matter the amount of support that offered itself, I was the one who was in my own way. I was losing the will to fight to gain ‘résumé virtues’ and was starting to question what the worth of eulogy virtues even was when it didn’t seem to matter to anyone else, especially the people I was trying so hard to impress. Those supportive people I had pushed away grew concerned and I told them I’d fight through it. I doubt that sometimes, but all the reasons Brooks pondered are solid reasons as to why I can’t prioritize career skills over morals. One thing he wrote gives me hope- “Their lives often follow a pattern of defeat, recognition, redemption. They have moments of pain and suffering. But they turn those moments into occasions of radical self-understanding.” I hope that maybe this is a moment of my life that I will be able to transform into a form of self-understanding, but I’m still uncertain. My beliefs, however, have solidified that I need to continue to value morals over societally acceptable skills regardless of what any university thinks and try whatever I can succeed academically to my best ability and reach wherever I do as a wholesome person rather than a superficially intelligent one. I’d make someone feel funny and valued, listen to them, care for them, and live a life of gratitude over a perfect GPA, college acceptance letter, or excessive wealth any day. Maybe it isn’t the logical