Summoned Self Summary

Questionable Future

            The article, The Summoned Self, offers the idea of two ways to think about life. There is the Well-Planned Life and the Summoned Life. The writer, David Brooks, is trying to assist people that question the meaning of their life. Brooks explains these two ways of life so that the reader may choose which path to follow. The explanations and examples he gives of both ways of life will help the reader determine which path is most suitable for them. Brooks cites an essay written by Clayton Christensen to relate to the Well-Planned Life. According to Brooks, students were advised to, “invest a lot of time when they are young in finding a clear purpose for their lives”  (Brooks). The Well-Planned Life supports the idea of taking time out of a busy schedule to think and contemplate why God put one on this earth. This way of life suggests that doing this consistently will help the reader to discover the meaning and purpose of their life and future. On the other hand, Brooks also delves into the idea of a Summoned Life. Living a Summoned Life suggests that one cannot simply sit down, and after a few hours or days of thought, know their sole purpose in life. Life and the future are unknown, so there is no way to tell what obstacle or achievements may appear.

            Brooks mentions that a person leading a Well-Planned Life stresses individual agency. This person focuses on the individual needs at that moment. However, a person leading a Summoned Life questions the circumstances surrounding them, and what those circumstances are pressuring them to do. Brooks discusses less of his opinion when talking about the Well-Planned Life. He focuses of Christensen’s words and opinions rather than his own. In contrast, Brooks uses his own opinion to explain the Summoned Life when he says, “The first vision is more American” (Brooks). Although in the end he agrees that both ways of life are useful, he views the Well-Planned Life as more American and more helpful.