Leading a committed life wages a silent rebellion against the “I’m Free to Be Myself” culture of individualism that is still the defining feature of our age – David Brooks reminds us in his book The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life.  What ultimately matters in life emerges when we are ready to make promises that go beyond keeping our options open, when we say yes to a covenant (or vow) that ties us down, and gives ourselves away.  As Brooks writes: It is about surrendering the self and making the kind of commitment that, in the Bible, Ruth made to Naomi: “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people shall be my people and your God my God.  Where you die, I will die and there I will be buried.”