By: Hayden Kobza
On Thursday, Sept. 18, Southern Adventist University welcomed David Brooks, New York Times columnist and best-selling author, to campus for his lecture, titled “The Art of Seeing Others Deeply.”
Brooks is also known as a longtime commentator on PBS NewsHour. Over the years, he has become one of America’s most recognizable public intellectuals, admired for combining sharp cultural analysis with a warm, witty and quietly profound tone.
Most recently, Brooks has gained recognition for his bestseller “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen,” which offers practical and hopeful guidance on building stronger relationships in a divided world.
Brooks stated there is a rise in mental health problems in the United States. He cited a study that found 36% of Americans report feeling lonely almost all the time. In addition, he mentioned a 30% rise in suicides and statistics that reveal 45% of teenagers persistently feel hopeless and despondent.
“The percentage of Americans who say they have no close personal friends is up by four-fold since 2000,” he said. “The percentage of Americans without a romantic partner is up by a third since 2000. The percentage of Americans who rate themselves in the lowest happiness category is up by 50% since 2000. So, we’ve just become sadder.”
According to Brooks, when people are sad, they become meaner. He said when people feel unseen, they take it as a threat or an insult, and it results in the urge to lash out.
“I won’t give you all the meanest statistics, but they’re out there: the gun violence, the hate crimes, the rise of dark passions which dominate our political life today, anger, fear, hatred, resentment, the urge to dominate and the deepest product of this is the loss of trust,” Brooks said.
He also described how being online more causes us to see others less.
“There’s a technology story social media is driving us all crazy,” Brooks said. “There’s a sociology story where we’re less active in our communities.”
Gisela Harter, sophomore general studies major, agreed with Brooks that we need to disconnect from online to better connect with each other.
“I think a good way is taking breaks from our phones,” Harter said. “To be honest, I usually have hours in the day where I [won’t] be on my phone, and it just really helps me focus on other things. [It] rejuvenates me.”
During the event, Brooks stated that there are two types of people—diminishers and illuminators.
“Diminishers are people who aren’t curious about you,” Brooks said. “They stereotype, they ignore. … I met a woman who was a big Trump supporter, who was a lesbian biker who converted to Sufi Islam after surviving a plane crash. It’s like, what stereotype does she fit into?”
He then described the opposite side. “Illuminators on the other hand, are the people who really make you feel seen.”
To become someone who truly wants to know others, Brooks recommends finding the disagreement under the disagreement.
“If you’re disagreeing about something, you can shout at each other, but it’s more fun to say, well, why are we,” he said. “Disagreeing, what philosophical reason deep down is causing this disagreement, that’s finding the disagreement under the disagreement, and then the final thing that makes me a great conversationalist is to be really good at asking questions.”
His sentiments resonated with Ely Cervantes, freshman journalism major. In an interview with the Accent, she spoke about people needing to put differences aside to see the bigger picture.
“[Put differences aside] so that you can find a common ground instead of just arguing and you can talk about it better,” Cervantes said. “… Instead of just reacting right away, you can approach it more calmly and have a real conversation about it. It’s important so that you can be more open minded to other people’s perspectives…”
When asked what students should focus on in a rapidly changing world, Brooks described college as an opportunity to think deeply and develop beliefs.
“The one thing about these four years here is you get to think about things that will prepare you for life ,” he said.
‘Seeing others Deeply’: David Brooks speaks to Southern community
By: Hayden Kobza
On Thursday, Sept. 18, Southern Adventist University welcomed David Brooks, New York Times columnist and best-selling author, to campus for his lecture, titled “The Art of Seeing Others Deeply.”
Brooks is also known as a longtime commentator on PBS NewsHour. Over the years, he has become one of America’s most recognizable public intellectuals, admired for combining sharp cultural analysis with a warm, witty and quietly profound tone.
Most recently, Brooks has gained recognition for his bestseller “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen,” which offers practical and hopeful guidance on building stronger relationships in a divided world.
Brooks stated there is a rise in mental health problems in the United States. He cited a study that found 36% of Americans report feeling lonely almost all the time. In addition, he mentioned a 30% rise in suicides and statistics that reveal 45% of teenagers persistently feel hopeless and despondent.
According to Brooks, when people are sad, they become meaner. He said when people feel unseen, they take it as a threat or an insult, and it results in the urge to lash out.
“I won’t give you all the meanest statistics, but they’re out there: the gun violence, the hate crimes, the rise of dark passions which dominate our political life today, anger, fear, hatred, resentment, the urge to dominate and the deepest product of this is the loss of trust,” Brooks said.
He also described how being online more causes us to see others less.
Gisela Harter, sophomore general studies major, agreed with Brooks that we need to disconnect from online to better connect with each other.
During the event, Brooks stated that there are two types of people—diminishers and illuminators.
He then described the opposite side. “Illuminators on the other hand, are the people who really make you feel seen.”
To become someone who truly wants to know others, Brooks recommends finding the disagreement under the disagreement.
His sentiments resonated with Ely Cervantes, freshman journalism major. In an interview with the Accent, she spoke about people needing to put differences aside to see the bigger picture.
When asked what students should focus on in a rapidly changing world, Brooks described college as an opportunity to think deeply and develop beliefs.
“The one thing about these four years here is you get to think about things that will prepare you for life ,” he said.
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Hayden Kobza