New York Times columnist David Brooks urged students to find true happiness through committed relationships Thursday night.
Brooks was the keynote speaker at the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College’s 2016 fall convocation.
He said students should ask themselves what their higher calling is, rather than focus on short-term happiness.
Brooks is also a PBS news contributor and a commentator on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” He has written two New York Times best-selling books, most recently “The Road to Character.” It is a semi-autobiographical work based on his own philosophical journey and search for fulfillment.
“Mine wasn’t a life of profundity, yet there are those times when you get lifted out of yourself,” Brooks said. “You start to understand things about yourself and where you live.”
David Brooks, a New York Times Op-Ed Columnist, speaks to the crowd during the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Convocation Thursday night at the Ford Center. (Photo by: Xinyi Song)
Brooks stood behind the lectern with bright lights shining down on him. The Gertrude C. Ford Center was packed with honors students, faculty and community members who have read his columns for years.
Brooks spoke softly, but with purpose. He said the loss of connection and intimacy are causing a growing disconnect within society. It has led to a national decline in marriage, friendship and trust.
“The divisions are more stark than they’ve ever been,” Brooks said. “You have partisan hostility on top of economic inequality.”
Brooks’ advice for breaking through severe divisions was simple: Do something you love.
He said he is a firm believer in throwing oneself into things instead of squandering life in a series of constraints. The best way to avoid life’s side projects is to be passionate about something, according to Brooks. For him, commitment means success.
“A commitment is simply falling in love,” Brooks said. “It’s built on a double negative where you think ‘I can’t not do this.’”
Brooks said cell phones and social media are other obstacles to connecting with a passion. If a person is semi-connected to his phone, he is only semi-connected to others. He said he admits to being addicted to his own iPhone; he checks it more than every four minutes.
Students listen to David Brooks’ speech at the Ford Center on Thursday for the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Convocation. (Photo by: Xinyi Grace)
“If you want to drive mice crazy, start giving them random rewards at random times. My texts are like that,” Brooks said.
Brooks mentioned a handful of other aspects that set Ole Miss apart from schools around the country. He praised the student body’s intellectual diversity and pride.
Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said Brooks’ conversation with the student audience reminded him why he loves being at Ole Miss.
“The students here are incredibly smart, but they do have that connection which makes them come out so well rounded,” Vitter said. “That sets us apart.”
Julia Grant, a freshman public policy and journalism major, said she came to hear Brooks give career insights, but he gave a speech she needed to hear more.
“It was refreshing to hear someone talk about emotion in a time when emotions are glazed over to seem smart or put-together,” Grant said.
Brooks is a self-proclaimed preacher of emotion. Thursday night, he said intimacy is essential to the human experience.
“Even if you’re a middle-aged white guy, you should force yourself to talk and think this way sometimes.”
Before convocation, Brooks had dinner with Overby Fellow Curtis Wilkie’s political punditry class. He told the class the best way to broaden their horizons is to do something totally crazy. Then, he said, they will be convinced they can do anything for the rest of their lives.
