“Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through the tough times and you discover they aren’t so tough after all.”
Can a disadvantage be an advantage? And, can an advantage be a disadvantage? The Biblical story of David and Goliath is a story that proves both of those can be true. In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell explores various cases in life where the underdog often succeeds because of a disadvantage. Gladwell looks at losing a parent, having dyslexia and classroom size among other things we often assume are just part of our culture but can help through the hurt.
I have read several Gladwell books recently and have enjoyed each and every one. While I don’t always completely agree with the author, he does make me think every time. I am slowly making my way through all of his books. I have read The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers and Talking to Strangers.
With class sizes, Gladwell looks at a bell curve and shows how a small class size can have as many disadvantages as a large class size. Neither is inherently bad, but the best size is right in the middle (too small and students may not feel vulnerable to participate). Children who lose a parent or have dyslexia may be so used to overcoming and fighting through that they do extraordinary things with their lives. People can also have a remote survivor complex where they are near danger so they feel like they survived but not close enough to have really been in danger. With this feeling, they can feel like they don’t have anything left to lose and then use that to their advantage to find breakthroughs in the way we currently do things.
If you enjoy books that make you think, pick up any Gladwell book. David and Goliath will encourage you to look at your own life and see where you have or can use disadvantages as advantages and have a fuller life.
Do you have a favorite Gladwell book? Share in the comments!