Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World

by Sharon Daloz Parks, Laurent A. Parks Daloz, Cheryl H. Keen

A landmark study that reveals how we become committed to the common good and sustain such commitments in a changing world.
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"A perceptive, groundbreaking analysis of inspired lives. . . . This is a guidebook for the soul."
—Daniel Goleman, author of  Emotional Intelligence

"A truly refreshing book! In a day when the political and spiritual air has grown stale with cynicism, discouragement, and indirection, this beautifully written, penetrating study could not be more welcome or valuable. No teacher, parent, or civic leader who cares about nurturing social commitment can fail to be informed and inspired by this remarkable and surprisingly practical book."
—Robert Kegan, author of  In Over Our Heads

"Eloquent and profound,  Common Fire  addresses what Americans everywhere long a sense of the common good, an emphasis on community and compassion in everyday life, a values-based politics in the public sphere. A compelling, encouraging work."
—Jim Wallis, author of  The Soul of Politics

"A profound exposition and penetrating commentary on some of life's most important issues."
—Clarence G. Newsome, dean, Howard Divinity School

"A compelling portrait of people who choose to make a difference and thus inspire us all."
—Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of  World Thriving Locally in the Global Economy

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Education

273 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 1997

Reviews

[Susan D'Entremont · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because the leader of a college program my daughter is taking part in uses it as a resource, and I was curious. I read it during the 2016 Presidential campaign, which was a little surreal. Pretty much everything the committed people in this book do is the opposite of how Donald Trump presented himself during the election.

The book was written in 1996, but so much of it seemed ahead of its time that I had to keep going back and double checking the date. Some examples - white people don't realize they have a culture because they are the majority culture. Getting to know a diversity of people is important, but expect the conversations to be difficult. Help develop local businesses to bring up a community rather than building big service agencies or multinational companies. Etc.

I appreciated the fact that this book talked about how working in the for-profit business world doesn't exclude a person from living a committed life. Business run in an ethical manner can bring a lot to communities, including services, jobs and training. I also felt the discussion of education as being more than just practical skills was very important and something that is often forgotten today. Besides the importance of giving people a holistic look at the world so they can create a vision that leads to commitment, a larger education is needed because practical skills become obsolete so quickly. One of my favorite passages in the book:

"At their best, colleges provide space and stimulus for a process of transformation through which students move from modes of understanding that are relatively dependent upon conventional assumptions to more critical, systemic thinking that can take many perspectives into account, make discernments among them, and envision new possibilities. The deep purpose of higher education is to steward this transformation so that students and faculty together continually move from naivete through skepticism to commitment rather than becoming trapped in mere relativism and cynicism. This movement toward a mature capacity to hold firm convictions in a world which is both legitimately tentative and irreducibly interdependent is vitally important to the formation of citizens in a complex and changing world."

I only gave this three stars because it seemed disjointed to me. Although they interviewed over 100 people in doing research for this book, much of the text seemed vague or too general. They did put in vignettes to illustrate some of their points, but I wish the authors had done more of this or tied the vignettes more tightly to the points they were trying to make. I think this book would work best as part of a study or discussion group than being read on its own, as I did.

I did come away with some pointers for my own life. The book talked a lot about how human connection is necessary for people not to get burned out. It can seem to take time away from what you are trying to achieve, but the opposite is true. It also discussed having a regular group of people you meet or hang out with who have similar missions and visions as you do. This is a hard one for me - I'm not quite sure where to begin, especially since I am an introvert, but it is something I am going to try to consciously work on.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good remedy for cynicism. This is a socialogical study about people who work "for the common good" over the long term. It is based on in depth interviews and real examples are given, with the names changed for privacy. One example that inspired me was of an urban neighborhood which had been cut off from the city by a highway. As often happens, the working class people had difficulty continuing to live there and the neighborhood went downhill, eventually taken over by drugs and gangs. Now there is a group of people working to restore the neighborhood, all using their various areas of expertise, such as helping residents get their high school degree, establishing a day care center so that mothers can work, a credit union that invests in improving local housing, etc. It doesn't gloss over the difficulties but at the same time demonstrates that people can make a difference.

[Sidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book recommended by Fundraising class professor. It is about how to do "common good", and I agree it's a "guidebook for soul". The first 4 chapters are very entertaining to read, the latter part put on too much religion and history of black people. Connection, compassion, conviction, courage, confession, commitment--be a good person of yourself.

[Judy]

A Qualitative study looking for the factors that create and sustain leaders who have a positive influence on culture.

[Brian Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good start.

[Bjorn Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, easy to read, and layered with wisdom.

[melissa bolton]

it's for a non-profit class I'm taking...but there some good stories up in there so far...