The road to character（1）

The road to character（1）
By David Brooks
We live in a society that encourages us to think about how to have a great career but leavesmany of us inarticulate about how to cultivate the inner life. The competition to succeed andwin admiration is so fierce that it becomes all-consuming.
The consumer marketplace encourages us to live by a utilitarian calculus, to satisfy our desiresand lose sight of the moral stakes involved in everyday decisions.The noise of fast andshallow communications makes it harder to hear the quieter sounds that emanate from thedepths.
We live in a culture that teaches us to promote and advertise ourselves and to master the skillsrequired for success, but that gives little encouragement to humility, sympathy, and honestself-confrontation, which are necessary for building character.

《品格之路》（1）
作者：大卫·布鲁克斯
我们的社会鼓励我们思考如何在职场上大获成功，然而，一旦谈到如何发展内在的精神世界，很多人就会期期艾艾地无言以对。取得成功与赢得声誉的竞争非常残酷，似乎能吞噬一切。
消费者市场鼓励我们在生活中对实际效用斤斤计较，努力满足自己的欲望，而对日常决策中的道德风险置若罔闻。热闹、肤浅的沟通交流不绝于耳，人们很难听见来自灵魂深处的轻声细语。
我们的文化教导我们要宣扬、推销自己，要掌握成功所需的技能，却几乎从不鼓励我们要谦虚低调、富有同情心、诚实地面对自我，而这些恰恰是品格培养所必需的。