In this fascinating TED talk (15:40), world-renowned journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell offers an original perspective of the classic biblical underdog tale of young David defeating the mighty Goliath with nothing but a slingshot. He begins with a basic summary of the battle, as told in the Book of Samuel, and then (from 05:25) offers his own interpretation of the battle, presenting David’s victory over Goliath in a less miraculous manner. Among other factors, he suggests that Goliath’s abnormal size was the result of a medical syndrome that causes people to grow very large, causing many additional physical problems. However, the main lesson he gleans from this story is that, at the end of the day, challenges that appear overwhelmingly large and scary may not be as threatening as they seem. For more information about the hypothesis that Goliath suffered from Hereditary Giantism, read this article from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.Â