On October 15, Nobles welcomed journalist, author, and political and cultural commentator David Brooks to campus. A columnist for The New York Times and a weekly conservative commentator on PBS NewsHour, Brooks has previously worked for The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, Newsweek, The Atlantic, and National Public Radio.
Brooks began the day by speaking to students, faculty, and staff at Assembly, engaging the community with his characteristic wit and affable nature and candidly sharing stories from his personal and professional life as he discussed his latest book, the New York Times bestseller, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. Brooks spoke about the importance of connection and empathy in relationships, central themes not only to his new book but also to Nobles’ newly revised mission statement and the core values of curiosity, respect, playfulness, generosity, and belonging.
There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization, or society: the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen—to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard, and understood.
Brooks explained that when people see others deeply, and when they are deeply seen, they thrive. “Knowing someone deeply requires patience, curiosity, and vulnerability—qualities we rarely prize in today’s culture but ones we desperately need if we’re going to build lives and communities worth inhabiting,” he shared. He elaborated that to improve at knowing and seeing others deeply, we must approach others with warmth and look at the world with generous eyes rather than with suspicious eyes; show up for others and get to know them by spending time with them or engaging in play with them; and ask questions of others and focus 100% of our attention on them.
Following Assembly, Brooks held a question and answer session and visited journalism and War, Society, and Humanity classes for more focused discussions relevant to their studies. With student staffers of the school paper, The Nobleman, Brooks shared valuable insights from decades as a journalist and the unique demands of producing a community publication versus a national one.
