Brooks: What life asks of us - International Herald Tribune

Brooks: What life asks of us - International Herald Tribune: "This approach is deeply consistent with the individualism of modern culture, with its emphasis on personal inquiry, personal self-discovery and personal happiness. But there is another, older way of living, and it was discussed in a neglected book that came out last summer called 'On Thinking Institutionally' by the political scientist Hugh Heclo.
In this way of living, to borrow an old phrase, we are not defined by what we ask of life. We are defined by what life asks of us. As we go through life, we travel through institutions - first family and school, then the institutions of a profession or a craft."