39 pages • 1 hour read
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
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Themes
Managing the Mental Decline That Comes With Aging
Brooks has spent a decade grappling with this topic, from the inciting event aboard the airplane, to his research as a social scientist, to his resignation as head of a think tank so that he could better manage his own decline in later years. After focusing on inevitability, Brooks offers hope: One can enjoy fulfillment and continued relevance if following a second path later in life. The book offers a road map, as well as an explanation for resisting change.
This is a book for people at the top of their game: business leaders, cutting-edge researchers, and professionals drawing on intellectual resources rather than physical gifts. Brooks identifies the “striver’s curse.” He writes, “[P]eople who strive to be excellent at what they do often wind up finding their inevitable decline terrifying, their successes increasingly unsatisfying, and their relationships lacking” (xiv). Brooks knows it’s a battle to convince such people that they should abandon the course they are on for another path.
Brooks develops his ideas through a mix of research, biography, and philosophy. He cites the Harvard Business Review, which reported that most entrepreneurs backed by $1 billion or more in venture capital are 20-34 years old. Perhaps imagining that many high achievers will think that decline won’t befall them, Brooks provides examples of icons and Nobel Prize laureates who enjoyed success early in life and felt stymied or worse in later years. The message is clear: If it happened to Charles Darwin, it can happen to anyone.
Brooks wants readers to understand that an alternative path is possible. To do this, he presents Cattell’s idea of crystallized intelligence or wisdom, which remains sharp into old age. Biography comes into play again when Brooks tells Bach’s story and his shift in old age to teaching. Drawing upon philosophy, Brooks quotes Cicero to support the idea of crystallized intelligence, noting that Cicero advocated a role of counsel for older people.
Brooks uses a wide array of sources. When discussing the objectification of the self that plays a role in work addiction, Brooks cites the philosophers Immanuel Kant and Karl Marx to back up his ideas. Not restricting himself to Western philosophy, he also references Chinese and Hindu teachings.
Love as the Key to Happiness
Brooks boils his advice down: “Love people” (215). The Harvard Study of Adult Development showed that having healthy relationships is the most significant factor for a happy life. As one of the professors involved in the study said: “‘Happiness is love. Full stop’” (117). This is the key to getting onto the second curve later in life.
Brooks knows that without the nurturing of loving relationships, it’s much harder to avoid workaholism and to leave behind the world of constant striving. Like the aspen tree with its interconnected roots, humans are strong and powerful only when supported through their interconnected relationships.
Brooks explains how to cultivate such relationships, as high achievers often have not done so. He notes barriers, such as the isolation leaders experience. Many strivers have not taken the time to make friendships outside of work due to their quest for professional success. Brooks gives advice for how to nurture withered relationships and start new ones. Making connections requires reaching out and trying, something strivers should have no trouble with if they move past their pride.
Brooks draws from the model of addiction treatment. He finds little difference between workaholism and substance use disorders in terms of how each impacts the individual with the addiction. For repairing damaged relationships, Brooks takes a page out of the 12-step program of “Alcoholics Anonymous,” exhorting strivers to make amends to people they may have hurt or neglected
The Importance of Spirituality
The third main theme can be summarized by the Conclusion: “Worship the divine” (215). This also stems from love, as Brooks refers to the Greek concept of agape, or love of the divine. The seventh chapter deals in depth with spirituality, but there are references to religious philosophies and teachers throughout the book. Brooks draws upon Christianity (he himself is a practicing Catholic) to Buddhism to Hinduism to Islam.
It’s natural to think more of spiritual issues as one ages, Brooks says; he encourages readers to embrace that tendency even if they haven’t before in their adult lives. The Hindu idea of vanaprastha, or a turning away from career toward spirituality in middle age, parallels the second curve with its concept of “retiring” and its notion of figuratively going “into the forest” (150). In a sense, it’s an extension of the idea that life is short. Each person only has so much time on Earth, and their last stage should be one of contemplating life experiences and gleaming what wisdom they can to share with others.
To do so, it’s necessary that one pulls back from life’s daily affairs and spends time in study and thought. It’s no coincidence that crystallized intelligence—found on the second curve—is conducive to these behaviors. It’s a time to look forward to those limited years that remain, facing the end with humility and in service to the younger generations as mentors.
Recognizing the resistance toward reaching this stage, Brooks aims to help the reader overcome them. He gets personal in relating his and his wife’s own faith journeys. He explains how they took different paths, suggesting that there’s no one right way to do it—each person must find his or her unique path.
To readers who are skeptical about religion—probably a large group among hard-driving overachievers—Brooks provides the example of Nicodemus. In spite of being a Pharisee, Nicodemus followed his curiosity and sought out Christ’s teachings. Brooks is telling readers to follow their instincts and let down their guard—to let spirituality enrich their lives in their later years.
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