Gladwell, Malcolm, 2008. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Malcolm Gladwell (b. 1963) has his own website, http://www.gladwell.com/ were there are questions and answers concerning several of Gladwell’s writings including, Outliers, The Tipping Point and Blink. Gladwell is a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine, prior to which he served as a reporter for the Washington Post. He has a history degree from the University of Toronto, Trinity College.
Malcolm Gladwell (b. 1963) has his own website, http://www.gladwell.com/ were there are questions and answers concerning several of Gladwell’s writings including, Outliers, The Tipping Point and Blink. Gladwell is a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine, prior to which he served as a reporter for the Washington Post. He has a history degree from the University of Toronto, Trinity College.
Gladwell writes his book, Outliners, as a hodge-podge of historical facts and seemingly coincidences that characterize a significant truth: “…look beyond the individual…understand the culture he or she is a part of, and who their friends and families were, and what town their families came from…to appreciate the idea that the values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are” (10-11). Gladwell’s plan is to bring this understanding to the concept of success.
Gladwell tears down the myth of individual merit to explore how culture, circumstance, timing, birth and luck account for success. It is all interesting and a great read. It is interesting to know that historical legacies can hold others back despite ample individual gifts. Some of the familiar people stories are known to me, it still is fun and interesting the way Gladwell puts these things together.
This thing about Gladwell’s writing that I like is also a hazard for Outliers. For example, in seeking to understand why Asian children score higher on math tests, Gladwell explores the timely labor required to cultivate rice as it has been done in East Asia for thousands of years. Although fascinating this is all interesting, the conclusions seem forced and even bordering on racist. The proof that a rice-growing heritage explains math prowess, as Gladwell asserts, is a stretch for me.
One statement that Gladwell makes is that “success arises out of the steady accumulation of advantages” (175). He also contrasts this point by showing how failure is also a steady accumulation of disadvantages as he studies the past 40 years of plane crashes. This is a helpful reminder for the minister who engages people in various states of life and living. I am a tool to allowing the people I serve to have opportunities to accumulate advantages, as God would lead me. We need to accumulate advantages by continually behaving out of faith, perseverance, character and hope, which will naturally bear the fruit of our calling due to the common source that each come from. We need to accumulate advantages by surrounding ourselves in the resources for our calling, support, and opportunity. We also need to be very aware of the disadvantages that surround us and not be ignorant of the impact that the accumulation of those has.
The combination of Gladwell’s view that talent, opportunity in a community context and hard work produce success are interesting to ponder. The point apparently is as mentioned: success is not just 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration - it's also involvement of community and network connections sprinkled with opportunity.I think as I read some of William Booth's (founder of the Salvation Army) writings he might agree with some of Gladwell's observations. Then how does one engage those who have limited opportunities, limited networking potential, and broken community context? Give the person food (sometimes this should not be completely free so as to diminish the dignity of the individual), a place to sleep, a suit of cloths, a job and teach Jesus Christ so that that one may also share the Good News of Jesus.
FINALLY, I believe in the convergence of the God of perfect timing. I have seen and bear witness to the God who takes a willing soul and transforms that person into a leader, a "fisher" of the souls of men, women and children in powerful ways. The right place at the right time is the story of the believer!
In my setting, among members of my congregation the health of community connection, networking in relationships that are based on a surrender and depth that is more than the culture can offer, based on the love of God that stirs within the hearts of believers.
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