No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. - Albert Einstein
Best selling author Malcolm Gladwell joined Glenn on TV Wednesday night to discuss the importance of out-of-the-box thinking and "the art of taking down giants". The conversation was one of several that Glenn has had over the past couple of weeks with thought leaders who have focused on nontraditional solutions to the nation's problems, including Mike Rowe and Srinivas Rao.
In Gladwell's book, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, he says there are three weapons that the "powerless" can use to overcome overwhelming odds: faith, courage, and determination. While courage and determination have been covered other places, Glenn wanted to focus on faith.
"I have a chapter where I talk about this little town in the mountains of France. It was a bunch of Hugenots...during the Second World War they decided they were going to harbor any Jewish refugees who came to their door. Jewish refugees came by the thousands. They took them in and they told the Nazis 'we're going to take them in and if you to come and get them we're not going to give them to you'" Gladwell said.
"They had nothing. They had no resources. They had no weapons, they refused to lie so they weren't using deceit. All they had was there faith."
"I don't care if you're the most dyed-in-the-wool atheist, you cannot read that story and not come away with a renewed appreciation for the power that faith gives people," Gladwell said.
Moving onto the the story of David and Goliath, Gladwell said that armed with the slingshot, a piece of powerful and innovative technology for the time, and the power of faith, David was never the underdog in his battle with Goliath.
"We've been telling that story as if he's this incredible long shot. He's not the long shot. With those two things he's the favorite," Gladwell explained.
Gladwell, a writer for The New Yorker, surprised Glenn with his insightful interpretation. Glenn said he knew plenty of people of deep faith who wouldn't have that perspective on the story.
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