Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-327) and index.

Part I. The two mountains -- Moral ecologies -- The Instagram life -- The insecure overachiever -- The valley -- The wilderness -- Heart and soul -- The committed life -- The second mountain -- The four commitments -- Part II. Vocation -- What vocation looks like -- The annunciation moment -- What mentors do -- Vampire problems -- Mastery -- Part III. Marriage -- The maximum marriage -- The stages of intimacy I -- The stages of intimacy II -- The marriage decision -- Marriage: the school you build together -- Part IV. Philosophy and faith -- Intellectual commitments -- Religious commitment -- A most unexpected turn of events -- Ramps and walls -- Part V. Community -- The stages of community building I -- The stages of community building II -- Conclusion: the relationalist manifesto.

"Every so often, you meet people who radiate joy--who seem to know why they were put on this earth, who glow with a kind of inner light. This inner peace, David Brooks reveals, comes not from a life of self-centered achievement but a life of interdependence and commitment to others. In The Second Mountain, David Brooks explores the four main commitments that define a virtuous and meaningful life: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment ultimately depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. We have taken individualism to the extreme, Brooks argues, and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. In The Second Mountain, Brooks gives us the tools to repair our fractured society, and shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives."--Back cover