Over a lifetime of self-confrontation, he developed a mature temperament. He tk the names of the people he hated, wrote them down on slips of paper and tore them up and threw them in the garbage. He developed a moderate, cheerful exterior because he knew he needed to project optimism and confidence to lead. Dwight Eisenhower, for example, realized early on that his core sin was his temper. But character is built during the confrontation with your own weakness. “External success is achieved through competition with others. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead.” Or again 2 Corinthians 12:10: “ For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2. Paul says it well in Philippians 3:13: “ I do not consider myself to have attained this. While many criticize the Catholic vision of humility and the constant emphasis on self-improvement, history reveals that those who were most aware and accepting of their flaws (in a healthy way) knew where to find the help they needed to do truly great things. They have achieved a profound humility, which has best been defined as an intense self-awareness from a position of other-centeredness.” They have traced how that core sin leads to the behavior that makes them feel ashamed. They have identified their core sin, whether it is selfishness, the desperate need for approval, cowardice, hardheartedness or whatever. Your parents and teachers were always telling you how wonderful you were.īut all the people I’ve ever deeply admired are profoundly honest about their own weaknesses. Social media wants you to broadcast a highlight reel of your life.
The meritocracy wants you to promote yourself.
Living for mere external achievement means that you allow the years to pass without exploring the deepest parts of you. The only way that we will ever achieve true happiness is if we put God in the center, not ourselves.
As Catholics, we understand that our lives only have meaning if we live them according to God’s plan. Brooks’ lists of “eulogy virtues,” examining where they harmonize with the Christian faith, as well as where they are found lacking. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral - whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful. The résumé virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. “It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues.
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So, now, the important question: How to get there? I was going to have to be better at balancing my life.” I was going to have to have the sort of moral adventures that produce that kind of goodness. “I realized that if I wanted to do that I was going to have to work harder to save my own soul. One day he realized he wanted to be a bit more like them. Granted, Brooks doesn’t use the word “saint”, but the kind of person that he’s describing shares a lot in common with what we might call a “holy” person (we will try to explain a few distinctions throughout the post). I have not achieved that generosity of spirit, or that depth of character.” But I confess I often have a sadder thought: It occurs to me that I’ve achieved a decent level of career success, but I have not achieved that. When I meet such a person it brightens my whole day.
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