Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Monday, September 13, 2021
Book Review: David And Goliath
David And Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, And The Art Of Battling Giants
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Publisher: Little, Brown And Company, hardcover, 305 pages, including: Acknowledgments, Notes, and Index
The Author
At the time of this publication, Malcolm Gladwell has been on staff at The New Yorker since 1996. Prior to that, he was a reporter at the Washington Post.Gladwell was born in England and grew up in rural Ontario. He lives in New York. In addition to David And Goliath, he is also the author of other volumes, including: What the Dog Saw, Outliers, Blink, and The Tipping Point—all are on the New York Times best sellers list.
Contents
This volume contains the following: Introduction, Part One: The Advantages Of Disadvantages Of Advantages, Part Two: The Theory Of Desirable Difficulty, Part Three: The Limits Of Power. Each of the Parts consist of two or three chapters.
Brief Observations
In his Introduction, Gladwell makes the case for David having an advantage over Goliath because of his fighting method. David surprised Goliath—and likely everyone else—by his fighting method of using a sling-shot and moving around, rather than using other common weapons and remaining in a standing position against his opponent. According to Gladwell, in addition to traditional weapons and fighting tactics, sling-shots were also periodically used successfully. David then, by thinking and acting “outside the box” utilized what most believed was a disadvantage as an advantage, thus killing Goliath, thought by most to be the better warrior. Most of this volume presents several illustrations of thinking and acting “outside the box.”
Whether it was Vivek Ranadivé who knew very little about basketball and tried things that no one else even dreamt; or teacher Teresa DeBrito who discovered she had the most fun teaching a class of 29 kids; or Caroline Sacks who would have remained in science if she had chosen to attend the University of Maryland rather than Brown University; Gladwell emphasizes the advantages of commonly held disadvantages.
The volume covers such concepts as the inverted-U curve, and theories like desirable difficulty.
In his chapter four, Gladwell’s discussion of Gary Cohn was ethically problematic for this reviewer. Cohn lied about his knowledge of options trading in order to get a job on Wall Street (see especially pp. 122-124). If one lies in order to be employed, will one also continue to lie on the job? Some people who are successful telling lies do continue to lie because they believe that they can get away with it. If they do, they can even lose their perspective, and become unable to distinguish between the truth and the lie.
The two closing chapters are perhaps the best. Gladwell cites the example of Wilma Derksen and her struggle with and journey towards forgiveness; and Pastor André Trocmé’s courage to put his faith into action by hiding and saving Jews in Le Chambon during World War II.
Those readers who appreciate and/or are underdogs and misfits shall find this volume encouraging and beneficial.
Friday, August 6, 2021
Monday, July 5, 2021
A Short Story
He hated every second of Lakeshore Indian Residential School. Not a day went by that he wasn’t abused by a priest or nun physically, psychologically, or sexually. He had been taken forcibly from his parents by a priest and Mounties when he was only 5 years old. The school was 400 kilometres from his home, and he only got to see his parents once a year at Christmastime. Of course he wanted to stay home with his parents, but the priest and the Mounties would always come to forcibly take him back to the school for another year.
At school, they took away his traditional Indigenous clothing, and punished him severely if he spoke Cree.
He hated the school so much, that he tried to run away on several occasions. Only to be caught and dragged back to the school. Every day was a day of torture.
One day, when a priest tried to abuse him for a third time, he summoned all the courage and strength he had and kicked the priest between the legs as hard as he could. The priest fell to the floor and, in anger cursed him. He then ran away again. Tragically, a nun saw him running and was able to send another priest after him, who brought him back to school.
When the abusive priest cornered him, he punched him in the face and he fell back onto a sharp edge of a desk and was killed instantly.
30 years later, his body was found in an unmarked grave, and all of his family and members of the reservation had a day of remembrance to mourn his death and the deaths of other students who were discovered in a mass unmarked grave behind the school.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
June 3rd is World Bicycle Day
World Bicycle Day, June 3, 2021
With the 2021 World Bicycle Day fast approaching, everyone should know why exactly a world bicycle day and acknowledge the versatility, uniqueness, and longevity of the bicycle (over 200 years).
June 3rd was declared World Bicycle Day in April 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly. The resolution for World Bicycle Day recognizes and celebrates this reliable, simple, affordable, and clean means of transportation.
Additionally, the bicycle helps foster environmental health and stewardship. Few devices merit celebration as much as a bicycle.
Do you have a bicycle? If so, consider going for a ride on June third.
Click here to read the entire article.
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Dr.Hans Küng, Swiss Theologian dies at the age of 93.
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| Dr. Hans Küng in 2008. He called himself "an idealist without illusions." Photo credit: Bernd Weissbrod/picture-alliance, via Associated Press. |
Dr.Hans Küng, Swiss theologian has died at the age of 93, in his Tubingen, Germany home, yesterday, Tuesday, April 7, 2021.
Dr.Küng was a controversial theologian in the Roman Catholic Church. He had much in common with the Reformation theology of Martin Luther, and, in the 20th century, Karl Barth. He advocated for, among other reforms: The Ordination of women, the end of a celibate clergy, birth control, and the end of papal infallibility. A prolific author of some 50 books and other scholarly works, he was among the youngest theologians who influenced the Second Vatican Council.
When Rome revoked his license to teach theology in a Roman Catholic institution; he remained in Tubingen, and continued to teach theology in the secular part of that university. He also went on to establish an institute for ecumenism and an institute of global ethics. Even though the Vatican forbade Dr.Küng from teaching theology in a Catholic institution; Rome still regarded him as a priest "in good standing," rather ironic.
There are many profound Dr.Küng quotes that one might share, here is one example, reflecting, I believe, his authentic faith: "The nicest liturgical words and the highest praise of Christ--unless backed by Scripture and understood by the people--are just not useful."
My favourite Küng book is On Being A Christian. As a Lutheran, I found Dr.Küng to be more Lutheran than some Lutherans in this work. In this volume, he clearly, and, in my humble opinion, makes a convincing case for reforms similar to those that Luther made back in the Reformation age.
Have you read any of Dr.Küng's books? If so, which one(s) do you like most?
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