Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Are you a person living for your resume or your eulogy? Thoughts inspired by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik and David Brooks

Rabbi Soloveitchik
from Wikipedia

In his Lonely Man of Faith, published in 1965, Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik made a distinction between Adam I and Adam II. The latter represents the innovator the achiever, the man who is eager for success i.e. the worldly side of our nature.  He is one who is eager  to conquer the world and is  hungry for recognition to add to his accomplishments--so he can update his resume. Adam I often leads one to be a selfish, shrewd, sly, cold-hearted individual-- callous to values.

 Adam II, on the other hand is much more humble, more introspective and driven by a strong code of inner values that reflect respect for human dignity, love of and compassion for his creator and his fellow man. He is not only a man who does good, but a man who fundamentally is good, which  means -that internally, he is a man who believes and thus adheres to a high- principled and exacting code of conduct.

In short Adam II exemplifies moral and spiritual  virtues that, we all agree,  are worthy to be eulogized. 

 Soloveitchik argued that within the human mind, these two sides of  our nature are in eternal conflict. There is a never-ending  confrontation between external success and internal value.

 So where do you stand?

 Are you an Adam I or an Adam II?

Can both sides of the human personality be reconciled?


You must decide for yourself.

David Brooks 
from the New York Times website

In these video clips, David Brooks an op-ed writer for the New York Times and a teacher of moral philosophy and Grand Strategies at Yale College explores these concepts.

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_brooks_should_you_live_for_your_resume_or_your_eulogy


http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi2984750361/



No comments: