The Art of Seeing People
David Brooks has spent most of his life observing people.
Born in Toronto in 1961 and raised in New York City, Brooks grew up in a Jewish family, attended an Episcopal school, and later studied history at the University of Chicago. He began his career as a police reporter in Chicago (at the same wire service where I worked a decade later!), then spent years at The Wall Street Journal before moving into magazine writing and commentary. Since 2003, he has been an opinion columnist for The New York Times and a regular presence on PBS NewsHour.
Brooks has made a career out of watching how people think, behave, believe, and belong. Eventually, though, he realized that observing people is not the same thing as knowing them.
In his 2023 book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen, Brooks writes about growing up in a household where emotions were not always easily expressed. Over time, he became increasingly aware that he was better at analyzing people than connecting with them.
Brooks describes two ways we tend to move through the world: as “Diminishers” or “Illuminators.” Diminishers move quickly, assume they already understand, and reduce people to whatever is easiest to notice. Illuminators stay curious. They pay attention, and they ask questions that invite a story rather than a quick answer.
Brooks argues that our families, friendships, churches, workplaces, and communities become healthier when people feel known. That requires more than good manners; it requires the discipline of looking closely enough to discover the person beneath the surface.
That discipline feels especially important in a culture that trains us to sort people quickly. A few words, a political preference, a church affiliation, a profession, or a social media post can seem to tell us everything we need to know. But Scripture invites us to look longer.
Genesis tells us that human beings are created in the image of God, and Jesus lived as though that were true in every encounter. He noticed Zacchaeus in the tree, stopped for Bartimaeus beside the road, and lingered in conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. Again and again, Jesus looked beyond what was immediately visible and saw the person.
Christians call that loving our neighbor; Brooks calls it "illumination."
Interestingly, Brooks’ own spiritual journey has increasingly moved in this direction. Raised Jewish, he has spoken openly about being deeply shaped by both Judaism and Christianity, particularly by Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount.
The world has no shortage of quick opinions. What the world needs are people willing to look again -- to remain curious long enough for another person to become more than a passing impression.
Could that be one small way we follow Jesus this week? What if you ask the question, hear the story, pay attention? The challenge is simple and yet oh-so-rare in today's world: How will you slow down long enough to see someone?
Every person we meet carries the image of God, and every encounter gives us another chance to practice seeing it.
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
— Romans 12:10