David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and author, is enamored with the writings of the late rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik.
Soloveitchik argued that there are two sides to every person: the external side that wants to conquer the world, and the internal side that wants to hear a calling and obey the world. Someone's personality is the result of how the struggle between these two sides play out.
Brooks says we live in a world that neglects the internal side, and "that turns you into a shrewd animal who treats life as a game, and you become a cold, calculating creature who slips into a sort of mediocrity where you realize there's a difference between your desired self and your actual self. You're not earning the sort of eulogy you want, you hope someone will give to you."
His talk is a brief meditation on how to achieve a better balance.