To quickly summarise the whole story, Goliath was a hulking warrior sporting heavy armour and heavier weaponry, adequately prepared for a battle and asking for one from the Israelites, the loser of which his tribe(?) (sorry) would be slaves to the other. The Israelites were terrified and when a little shepherd boy volunteered, there was little opposition. After refusing to carry with him the weapons of the leader of the Israelites, David picked up five stones from a brook(idk what that is either) and headed towards Goliath to do battle. What happened next is the stuff of legends.
Goliath, insulted by the fact that a boy was sent to do battle against him, was left distracted. David starts to run toward him, loading the stone into his sling*. Swinging it rapidly, at six or seven revolutions a second, he releases at the right moment and the stone is fired into Goliath's forehead. Goliath falls to his knees, David grabs his sword and cuts his head clean off, an improbable victory. Hence the term coined in the English Language.
But anyway.
As I mentioned earlier, the book tells the tales and know-hows of improbable victories; how they come bout, and how they are overcome. How we all see difficulties, and how they may make us stronger and how some strengths weaken us in the face of adversity. I
A particular part of the book that I found I could relate to was a couple of chapters regarding a student by the name of Caroline Sacks(not her real name duh). Caroline was a girl who breezed through school with As here and As there and As everywhere, due to her bright mind and undying fascination with science.
After high school, she toured universities with her father, checking up meticulously on the many universities she could go to, before settling for Brown University, a prestigious Ivy League school. Marlyand University was her backup, and she decided to major in Chemistry. As far as anybody was concerned, she made the right choice. Choosing the more prestigious school, with more resources, more academically able students, and whatnot, was what anybody would do. She'd accepted the face that she wasn't going to be the big fish anymore, and that true.
What she didn't anticipate was the sheer difficulty that she would face in enrolling into a top course in a top school. She struggled to excel in her examinations, her classmates were reluctant to help her, and the elite environment depressed her, despite her excellent academic ability. She eventually had to drop out and go for an arts major. If she had enrolled in a lesser competitive university, she probably would have pulled through and may still be studying the subject that she loves. Cue opinion collision
Further statistics would also prove that a dropout from a top school would do well and go on to pursue their desired careers if they'd enrolled in a lesser prestigious school. Delightfully paraphrased, of course. While it may seem a bit apparent, I thought it was something I didn't realise, so yeah mindblowing hahaha. The whole story of Caroline was one focusing on the Big Fish-Little Pond effect. As aptly put by the author,
" The more elite an educational institution is, the worse students feel about their own academic abilities. Students who would be at the top of their class at a good school can easily fall to the bottom of a really good school. Students who would feel that they have mastered a subject at a good school can have the feeling that they are falling farther and farther behind in a really good school. And that feeling--as subjective and ridiculous and irrational as it may be--matters. How you feel about your abilities--your academic "self-concept"--in the context of your classroom shapes your willingness to tackle challenges and finish difficult tasks. It's a crucial element in your motivation and confidence. "
Conclusion (cos I wanna GAME)
I rate this book (cheh) amazing out of ten. The book delivers information and hard stats in a very digestible and enjoyable way. I learnt mostly, that some setbacks are actually blessings in disguise, sorta like the concept of hikmah, and that it is never ever ever ever impossible to do so. Till next time peepz.
Sling: A leather pouch in the middle of a cord the ends of which are attached to the middle finger and pinched between the forefinger and thumb respectively. Swung in arcs, one end is relased precisely to launch the projectile.
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