What the Bible, Algorithms, and Malcolm Gladwell Taught Me

If you had to name one, what would be the most important skill for success in today’s world? 

Well, let's see. It is undeniable that tactical life skills, intellect, and human capacities are essential to success in today’s world. Critical thinking, literacies in AI, data interpretation, finance, civic matters and dozens of other modern day skills are required for a successful journey into the future. Then there are the human capacities; character, empathy, curiosity, courage, creativity, resilience, and ethical judgment, to name just a few. We have come to believe that the young and the experienced alike need to possess these skills if they are to successfully adapt to and navigate the continually morphing and shape-shifting world we live in. I heartily agree. We seek these skills and pursue them doggedly and find ourselves inundated with podcasts, seminars, TED Talks all claiming to offer the edge on acquiring them. 

However, it is my conviction that there is one reigning skill that is essential and foundational in all that we do. That skill is the ability to think spiritually. Beyond humanity’s prayer and perusal of sacred texts, beyond rituals and doctrines, even beyond the disbelief and denial of all things godly lies a powerful, abiding conviction that to have the ability to think spiritually, and to underpin life’s daily pursuits with prayer and spirituality is the key to conquering all that life throws at us. Don’t stop reading yet. I am about to take you down a short path to illustrate my point and challenge your perspective. 

The Reading List Behind my Perspective

Two books that I read some time ago helped to reinforce my conviction that the ability to think spiritually is critical to the ability to navigate today’s world. 

Book 1 | David and Goliath

The first is titled, David and Goliath, written by Malcolm Gladwell. In this book, Mr. Gladwell, puts forward the premise that David was, in fact, the likely winner in his battle against the giant Goliath. He noted that in those times, “ancient armies had three kinds of warriors:

• The first was cavalry, armed men on horseback or in chariots. 

• The second was infantry, foot soldiers wearing armor and carrying swords and shields. That would be Goliath. 

• And, the third were projectile warriors, archers and, most importantly, slingers. 

Slingers had a leather pouch attached on two sides by a long strand of rope. They would put a rock or a lead ball into the pouch, swing it around in increasingly wider and faster circles, and then release one end of the rope, hurling the rock forward.” Mr. Gladwell likens this trio of strategies to a living game of rock, paper, scissors. Each has a unique and incontrovertible advantage. David was a practiced, expert slinger. In his book, Mr. Gladwell posits that David was the natural winner of this battle. A slinger had the advantage over a foot soldier because of the distance between them and the limitations of each of their skills. Had Goliath gotten close to David, he might have triumphed. David kept his distance and used his expert aim to land the stone in the only vulnerable spot on Goliath’s massive frame.

In 1st Samuel we read, that David ran to confront Goliath with the battle cry, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand;. . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." 

My own imagination takes me a little deeper. I have always envisioned David (the protector of the sheep) kneeling down by a brook as he prepared for the battle with Goliath. I picture him calming his thoughts and gathering his courage, appealing to God in prayer, as he slid the five smooth stones into his leather pouch. It was that moment of prayer, and all the times prior in which David had successfully prayed, that delivered him from the hand of the giant, and afforded him the victory. 

From his early boyhood, David identified himself as a child of God, and that is what always allowed him to win the day, that allowed good to triumph. 

Though I love reading Mr. Gladwell’s books and theories, I have to admit that accepting his historically clear and accurate interpretation of this story, at least for me, takes the “punch” out of David’s triumphant victory. I don’t disagree with his premise that David was supposed to win, and that a “slinger” would naturally beat a foot soldier prepared for hand-to-hand combat, but for me, David was supposed to win because God was with him, because he was a spiritual thinker. He could not fail because he lifted his thought higher than the battle in front of him. 

Would the outcome have been different if David had not called on God to aid him? Would the outcome have been different if Goliath had prayed before the battle rather than relying only on his own strength, stature, and prowess? What was the actual deciding factor in the story of David and Goliath? That is the critical question. I can only believe, after a lifetime of praying and thinking spiritually, that the deciding factor in all that we do is prayer. 

Book 2 | Algorithms to Live By

On to book two, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths book “Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions”. Don’t let the title fool you, I am neither a computer scientist nor a mathematician. I read this book because the title intrigued me, and I didn’t fully understand the concept of algorithms. One theory in this book is called the 37 percent rule. The authors use the example of looking for an apartment in San Francisco, a very daunting task. The problem to be solved is, “In a frenzied market, what is the balance between looking and leaping?” To quote the authors, “If you want the best odds of getting the best apartment, spend 37% of your apartment hunt noncommittally exploring options. Leave the checkbook at home; you’re just calibrating. But after that point, be prepared to immediately commit, deposit and all, to the very first place you see that beats whatever you’ve already seen. This is not merely an intuitively satisfying compromise between looking and leaping. It is the proveable optimal solution.”

When I read this book, I related it to a time when I was on a hunt for a new home. I made appointments to tour a number of homes and found myself in just such a situation. Not knowing about the 37% rule, and never quite finding a comfort level between looking and leaping, I prayed for God’s guidance. That prayer was grounded in silencing the clamoring thoughts that I could end up in the wrong home, and turning instead to the conviction that my answer was already there, just waiting for me to uncover it through trust and prayer. In the end, I was finally led to purchase a lot and build a new home, rather than following the path I had originally intended. My answer came through prayer, and by seeking divine guidance, and not the 37% rule. My new home was perfectly suited to meet my needs. Had I applied the 37% rule, the outcome would have been completely different, and very likely more costly and less satisfying. That is not to say that I find algorithms and laws of probability of no use. Of course, there is great wisdom and opportunity to be derived from following suggestions such as these. 

Putting Faith to Work

It occurred to me that, in both Mr. Gladwell’s rendition of the David and Goliath story, and in Christian and Griffiths 37% rule, the factor that is missing is the application of the spiritual skill, prayer. Mr. Gladwell and the authors of Algorithms to Live By are correct in recognizing that there are strategic advantages in life that we can recognize, practice, and act on. Having a tactical advantage, and understanding when and how to use it, certainly leverages the advantage and tips the balance in an uneven playing field. Students in schools, and practitioners in the business world are being taught through their studies and practices how to apply the critical thinking skills that afford each of us that tactical advantage in life. We have been given a myriad of essential skills for conquering the challenges and puzzles that life throws at us. But when that one skill, spiritual thinking, is applied as the foundation for all the others, a successful outcome is inevitable in all of our endeavors. 

David was confident and prepared because the foundation of his skill and decision-making came from his unwavering conviction that his life was divinely guided, and in God’s hands. My decision to listen for divine guidance in choosing my next home led me to just the right decision. Thank goodness we have critical thinking, algorithms, training and leaders who guide us through life’s events. Better still is the reliance on prayer and spiritual thinking that ensures that the right steps are highlighted for us in all the paths we take. 

What the Bible, Algorithms, and Malcolm Gladwell Taught Me

Until next time.

Merry