David Brooks wrote a great column today on the lifestyles of people like Sonia Sotomayor—people who exhibit the essence of success in a meritocracy. Even in the middle of recounting Sotomayor’s remarkable accomplishments, Brooks says, “Her biographers paint a picture of a life now that is frantically busy, fulfilling and often aloof … It’s the story of people in a meritocracy that gets more purified and competitive by the year, with the time demands growing more and more insistent.”He goes on to say, “These profiles give an authentic glimpse of a style of life that hasn’t yet been captured by a novel or a movie—the subtle blend of high-achiever successes, trade-offs and deep commitments to others. In the profiles, you see the intoxicating lure of work, which provides an organizing purpose and identity.”
The column clearly describes what this whole town is about: work. And finding your identity in your work. Brooks seems concerned, but doesn’t offer an antidote or a deeper analysis about what workaholism means for society. (Maybe it was that darn word count limit!) And I’m curious about his contention that it hasn’t been “captured by a novel or a movie.” Are there movies and novels out there that do capture it? I’ll have to think about this one. It’s possible there isn’t … because showing a modern politician, businessperson, or journalist checking their Blackberry just isn’t that entertaining.
This reminds me of a New Yorker article I read recently about how this new lifestyle is causing a rise in the use of neuroenhancing drugs. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/27/090427fa_fact_talbot
ReplyDeleteIt calls to mind Marilynne Robinson's brilliant essay "Family" published in the collection The Death of Adam. She problematizes the concept of a cultural "elite" that is based on Darwinism, and measured ultimately by income or even IQ, but ultimately exchanged for what she calls "the graces of personal and private life." I highly recommend it.
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