Ivy League Education

2 Pages 459 Words

Is there any cost too high for success? According to David Brooks, the author of “The Organization Kid”, America’s youth are hard at work striving to achieve. These leaders of tomorrow progess step-by-step towards their ambitious goals; but they do so in a society that has molded achievers, with the cost of character. In his article, Brooks brings to light the question of whether morals are sacrificed as a result of increased emphasis on achievement and success.
Growing up during a period of relative political, economical, and cultural stability in America, Brooks maintains that the elite have acquired a changed values system. Rather than being taught to be individuals, they have learned to be conformists. Rather than challenging authority, they accept it without question. This generation of achievers has been programmed to please since early childhood when activities were planned specifically for enrichment and development. Brooks sheds some light on the direction in which the country is going: “The Romantics—and the neo-Romantics of the 1960s and 1970s—thought that children were…natural beings, as yet uncontaminated by the soul-crushing conventions of adult society. Hence they should be left free to explore, to develop their own creative tendencies, to learn at their own pace. Now, in contrast, children are to be stimulated and honed.”(Brooks). Brooks implies that the country is moving in a direction which sacrifices moral character for accomplishment. This viewis supported when he states, “The most striking difference between and this one is that its members were relatively unconcerned with academic achievement, but went to enormous lengths to achieve character. We, on the other hand, place enormous emphasis on achievement, but are tongue-tied and hesitant when it comes to what makes for a virtuous life.”(Brooks). The American youth work from point “a” to point “b” for the sake of reaching ...