The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life

by David Brooks

the stories of our people and our identity. They helped me understand the consistency of my group across the vast horizon of time. Then, in college and early adulthood, I began to use them as wisdom literature, as tools for understanding and solving the problems of life. The characters in the Bible are normal, mottled human beings who are confronted with moral challenges. The key question is whether they respond to the challenge with the right inner posture—whether they express charity when it is called for, forgiveness when it is necessary, and great humility before goodness. David shows us what bravery looks like in the face of Goliath. Solomon illustrates wisdom before the women and the baby. Boaz exemplifies loving-kindness toward Ruth. During this phase I held these stories at arm’s length, to see what useful information they might have. I was big, and the stories were small, just an old book in my hands to be used by me in leading my life.