Forgetting Ourselves on Purpose: Vocation and the Ethics of Ambition

"Don′t be misled by the charm of this genial book. It is as deep as the author′s Irish bogs, and as wide as his American prairies. God will admire the energy and efficiency of its God–seeking." — Nuala O′Faolain , author, Are You Somebody? "This engaging book invites us to explore the places where our deep gladness and the world′s great hunger might possibly meet. It is about claiming vocation in the spiritual sense of finding a purpose for our lives that is part of the purposes of God. Its special gift lies in helping us examine our personal and cultural inhibitions about claiming our calling. Unique and powerful!" — James W. Fowler , author, Stages of Faith "What a great book about us human wanna–be′s! Mahan certainly sets mind and spirit buzzing as he leads us through a series of openings about how we cope with being ourselves. Don′t be too serious about your life, Mahan warns us, but don′t be too serious about not taking yourself seriously, either! Especially when moments of pure joy in just being sneak up on you." — Elise Boulding , professor emerita of sociology, Dartmouth College "Brian Mahan explores the relationship between ambition and vocation by pacing remarkably shrewd readings of Thomas Merton, Tolstoy, the Buddha, and William James with marvelously written memories of and Irish–Catholic boyhood. The result is an often puckish, indeed downright funny, yet deadly serious and ultimately subversive book–a heartfelt invitation to revisit just what it is that we think we are living for." — Anthony Glavin , author, Nighthawk Alley "An outstanding inquiry into ethics in everyday life. For its wit, honesty, clarity, and pure practical usefulness, this book simply kicks ass. It is a rare book that is as appropriate for the beach, bedside, or boardroom as for the graduate seminar." — Tom Beaudoin , author, Virtual Faith "Brian Mahan is an excellent guide on the human journey towards authenticity. With encouragement and humor, he leads the reader along important paths of self–knowledge we might otherwise avoid. His work is at once wise and witty, theoretically sound and pragmatically helpful. One might not expect it from the subject matter, but this very worthwhile book is also a lot of fun!" — Gerald May , author, The Awakened Heart and Will and Spirit

Foreword by Robert Coles . Preface––And an Invitation. What This Book Is About. What This Book Does. How to Read This Book. Acknowledgments. One: Ask Me What I ′m Living For. Doubting Pam. Vocation and Ambition. Compassion in Exile:Dickey ′s Story. Wanna–Be Saint. Reawakening Our Epiphanies of Recruitment. Practice: Ask Me What I ′m Living For. Practice: Ask Me What I Think Is Keeping Me from Living Fully for the Thing I Want to Live For. Two: Failing at Success. My Dinner with Valentino. William James and the Desire for Something More. The Sisters of the Cenacle and How to Sneakinto Heaven. Practice: Remembering to Forget Ourselves. Two Practices: Finding Yourself by Losing Yourself. Practice: Why Do We Do That? Three: Ivan Ilyich,John Dean,and I:How We Deceive Ourselves. Dean and Ilyich. The Eraser and the Mendacious Mantra. Practice: Rationalization: A User′s Guide. Four: If I ′m Really Something,You MustBe Nothing Much. A Short Tirade. The Hidden Fountains and Gardens of the Heart. Practice: Walker Percy and Spiritual Indirection. Three Lies: A Study in Spiritual Indirection. Practices: Mirroring Ambition. Five: Forgetting Ourselves on Purpose. Insight from Sri Lanka. They′re Not Hypocrites; They Just Forgot. Wounded Audacity. Beatitude: Feeling the Pleasure of God. Practice: Days of Remembrance. Remedial Practice. Six: The Meritocracy Machine. Harvard and Other Problems with Admissions. Practice: Reasons and Rationalizations for the AdmissionsCommittee. Harvard Divinity School and Other Problems withAcceptance. Practice: Alternative Reading Skills. Practice: Planning an Alternative New Year ′sCelebration. Afterword: Occupations and Preoccupations. Practice: Captain Midnight and Other FailedProjection Devices. Notes. The Author. Index.

Brian J. Mahan a Catholic layperson, teaches at Candler School of Theology, Emory University.