SECOND MOUNTAIN DISCUSSION GROUP

When

11/04/2020    
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Where

Hopedale Unitarian Parish
65 Hopedale Street, Hopedale, MA, 01747

This is to invite you to join a monthly (first Wednesday of the month) book discussion group of David Brooks’ new work, The Second Mountain, hosted by Rev. Steve.  We plan to meet via ZOOM every Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, beginning September 23rd.

From the book jacket: “Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose:  to a spouse and a family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community.  Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute those commitments.”

The book is slightly more than 300 pages, composed of 25 chapters, organized into an Introduction and four large parts.  Each chapter is also divided into a few short, separate sections. This readily lends itself to thinking about and discussing the book in “bite-sized pieces.”   This is a thoughtful volume, but if you know David Brook’s writing in the New York Times and his other books, you will know that it will not be academically obscure or ponderous.  Rev. Steve will host and lead the discussion, as well as providing questions that prompt deeper engagement with the text.

In order to have a lively exchange of views, we would need a minimum of six participants, but certainly more are welcome and not necessarily restricted to members or friends of Hopedale Unitarian Parish.  The initial meeting will serve briefly to introduce the participants to one another, cover a few basic ground rules and then take up the book’s Introduction.  At the end of the session, depending upon the progress and desires of the group, we will decide what section to take up next.  We will proceed in the same fashion as we work our way through the book.

If interested, please reply to Rev. Steve (revsteve@hopedaleunitarian.org).  Also, I hope you will invite any friends who you think may be interested.  In my opinion, this is a very timely book.  In a season when we seem overwhelmed with loud, shallow, self-serving claims and counter-claims, I found this clear and reasoned call to live a mature, committed and considered life really valuable.