Renowned Author Delivers Insights on Finding Compassion and Missionary Calling at Christian Event

Earlier this month, SEEK 2026, a large multi-city young adult conference organized by FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), brought together over 26,000 students and young Catholics for a week of prayer (January 1-5, 2026), Mass, inspiring speakers, focusing on encountering Christ. Held in Columbus, Denver, and Fort Worth, they invited renowned happiness author Arthur Brooks to speak to the impressionable audience eager to share their faith with the world.

Brooks is an American author, social scientist, and professor renowned for his work on the science of happiness, leadership, and human flourishing. He currently serves as the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and as a Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on happiness, leadership, and nonprofit management. He also runs the Leadership & Happiness Laboratory.

In his keynote speech in Columbus, Ohio, Brooks said the world “is not just a cold world” but “a world that attacks you.” In this context, he said, it can be challenging not to fight back. However, he said, “Your job isn’t to win arguments, it’s to win a soul.”

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“The spirit of the missionary will take you into the heart of a culture war,” Brooks said. “And in that culture war, you won’t win with violence … as you can win with love.”

Katie Tangeman, a sophomore at Northwest Missouri State University, said she came away from Brooks’ talk motivated to “just take a step back whenever I’m feeling frustrated or annoyed with somebody, or if they’re attacking me, to just see them as a beloved son or daughter of God and approach them with love instead of the contempt and hate that [Brooks] was talking about.” “Because that’s not being a good Christian,” she added.

Previously, Brooks was president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a prominent think tank, from 2009 to 2019. His early career included professional classical French horn performance in the U.S. and Spain before transitioning to academia and policy. A #1 New York Times bestselling author of 15 books, his notable works include “From Strength to Strength” (2022) on finding purpose in later life and “Build the Life You Want” (2023, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey). He writes columns for The Free Press, hosts the podcast "Office Hours with Arthur Brooks," and contributes to CBS News, sharing evidence-based strategies for happier, more meaningful lives.

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