The Summarized Self

“The Summoned Self” by David Brooks aims to inform the reader about two ways to look at life, The Summoned Self and The Well-Planned Life. The author does not seem to take a stance on which way is better an only states the facts in this eye opening paper. The author opens with an example of an Oxford graduate student who planned his life out years in advance. This Oxford graduate, Christensen, made the decision to take an hour out of every day to pray and think about “why God put [him] on this earth”(Brooks 1). Christensen figured out his purpose in life then went on to decide where to allocate his time. Christensen argues that people spend more time on “near term accomplishments” such as fixing a car or learning to play poker because they have more immediate rewards (Brooks 1). Therefore people put off things that offer greater rewards because they will not be rewarded until much later in life. The Summoned Life is in very sharp contrast with the person leading the Well-Planned Life. Those living The Summoned Life believe that God will tell them what he wants them to do, they look at their surroundings and ask “What are my circumstances asking me to do?” (Brooks 2). The author ends this article stating admitting that both ways of living are useful for anyone trying to live a well considered life.

This may help with future summaries