David Maliar
Police Officer | Negotiator | Role Model
Introducing David Maliar, who will speak at the next TEDxAmoskeagMillyard event on October 10, 2024, at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH.
What's your favorite TED or TEDx Talk, and why?
My favorite TED talk is Malcolm Gladwell when he talks about spaghetti sauce. He brings up a profound point about A. How people don't know what they really want sometimes, and B. How there really is no best thing (or flavor) for everyone. This is a better way to approach our interactions with people in general (that's what I got out of it anyways). This was my first introduction to TED and my first to Gladwell. I have been consuming the content of both ever since. Actually… that was my first thought. Maybe the most impactful talk I have heard was by Tony Robbins. His message: it's not that we don't have enough resources, we are often not resourceful enough. I try to live by this. Especially when it gets hard.…. Final answer.
What people or events have inspired you professionally?
My grandmother - Grammy - Betty Lou. She had this perspective: that if it saved just one person, then she would do it. Her love for people was real and she was tough when she needed to be. No matter who they were or how hard they fell, she would be there for them to help how she could. This was an incredible example to witness when I was growing up, but most of all she taught me forgiveness. I try to take her with me every day on the job.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
I would work to change the focus of people around the world from individual scarcity, necessity, and greed to individual purpose, meaning, and responsibility (as it relates to their community). I understand that most conflict is way more complicated than that but we start with not walking over someone to get ahead. We rise together.
How did you feel when you learned you had been chosen as a speaker for TEDxAM24?
Excited, then humbled, then scared, then driven. All in one moment. I feel like a minority at times with my philosophy on policing and it is incredible that I have this opportunity to share it with a wider group; to know that others also believe it as an idea worth sharing; and to help others discover a different perspective that may add to their own.
What do you most want TEDxAM24 attendees to know about you?
I am a father of 3, a step father to 2 more, a partner to the most amazing woman in the world, and then (after all that) I am a police officer. I am also a singer\songwriter, an author, and I have a deep love for the outdoors. I believe in showing the way, not just talking about it.
