It’s the things you chain yourself to that set you free.
–David Brooks
In reading through David Brooks’ recent commencement address, I was reminded of the value of ‘commitment’ to our personal growth. Because although we live in a society that is commitment-avoidant, it’s the commitments we make that actually allow us to grow and flourish.
In our society, we typically want to be free and keep our options open—and there’s definitely a place for doing so—but eventually we’ll need to decide what things we will be committed to. Because refusing to ever commit to anything can lead to a scattered and undeveloped—and ultimately unfulfilling—life.
Whether to our values, to our family, to our vocation, to our faith, it’s making commitments, and then allowing these choices to shape us, that enables us grow and mature in ways that keeping our options open never could.