I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations.
- George Bernard Shaw
They say that all good things must come to an end, but before they end, they have to start somewhere. This is where my blog starts. Yes, I am doing this because I have to for a class, but I think it is also a good idea, so somewhere inside me, I really want to do this. Of course, my first thought is why would anyone want to read my thoughts? I believe that we all have something to offer and I hope that you, dear reader find something of use in my thoughts. I am not sure, here at the outset, where this will go. I like to write and hope that someone finds usefulness in my ramblings. I tend to think out loud and find my thoughts and theories gelling as I write. Of course, my first goal is to get an A in EDAE 692 by posting my thoughts on Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, but in the end, I hope to pass on the torch…
Why this book? Why now? I was looking for several of the books on the reading list, and striking out at the local Barnes & Nobel. I was drawn to the Psychology section of the bookstore because, as an adult educator, I am really intrigued by the psychology of learning and as a leader, I am intrigued by the psychology of the organization. There, a little paperback called What the Dog Saw caught my eye. In the Preface, Gladwell wrote, "You don't start at the top if you want to find the story. You start in the middle, because it's the people in the middle who do the actual work in the world." That thought resonated with me. I have always believed in “the Middle”. I checked the list and that book wasn’t there, but 3 others by Gladwell were. Excited, I picked up The Tipping Point. I perused it and found it as compelling as Dog. Next, I picked up Blink.
The back cover talked about how Gladwell redefined the way we understand the world around us in The Tipping Point. “In Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within.” In the back of the book is a Reader’s Guide, a notion that in and of itself I think is brilliant, but in that guide Gladwell says that Blink is about “two seconds”. Two seconds in which we draw conclusions. Two seconds to decide. He talks about intuition, but says Blink is more about rational thinking as opposed to intuition.
I am at a point in my life where those two seconds are crucial. I don't have time to waste and need to focus on the quick decisions. I want... nay, need to understand the "world within."
As I read this book over the next few weeks, I hope you’ll join me on the journey and hopefully somewhere along the way we’ll light some torches in this dark world.
Dave
References
Gladwell, M. (2005). Blink. New York: Little, Brown and Company
Gladwell, M. (2009). What the dog saw. New York: Little, Brown and Company
No comments:
Post a Comment