If
there is one Biblical story that has captured the imaginations of generations
of Christians, Jews and even the nonreligious, it is the account of David and Goliath. The story is often used to illustrate how an
underdog can overcome a more powerful, conditioned, and skilled foe. We like to associate our struggles against
overwhelming odds with the young shepherd with a sling and stone, facing down a
battle-clad giant. “If David can win, so
can we” becomes locker room speech. But,
as Malcolm Gladwell writes about in his book, David and
Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants and discusses here during a TedTalk, David may not
have been such an underdog, and Goliath may not have had as strong of advantage
as we sometimes think.
Imagine
being a soldier in the army of Israel.
For 40 days, morning and evening, Goliath taunted the army. 80 times they had heard Goliath and each time
they were left “dismayed and terrified.”
There was surely some brash, guy talk of taking on the giant, but it had
never gotten to the action stage. I can
hear murmurs of, “Someone should do something.” But, for 40 days no one did anything.
Regardless
of the circumstances, it is easy for us to relate to David. How many times have we stepped onto the field
of “battle” and felt we were at a disadvantage?
Even though we may be competent with our “sling and five stones” and
have a proven record of success against bears and lions, a giant is still
intimidating.
The
radicals at the extreme political left and right have taken a cue from Goliath,
bellowing taunts across the valley floor.
Is it me, but does everyone on Fox News seem to be yelling and those on
National Public Radio (NPR) speak in an exasperated tone? Both extremes seem determined to communicate
how appalled and outraged they find themselves.
But,
is there substance to the appalled and outraged “Goliaths” or do they resort to
hyperbole simply to pull us closer to their position? Does every government assistance program
truly undermine the work ethic of America?
Do common sense statutes and rules about firearm ownership and
possession mean that we have just climbed on the slip and slide and are
careening toward the government kicking down the door to take our guns? Will bans on high capacity magazines have any
impact on what some repeatedly refer to as “gun violence?” Should we function as the world’s police
force or stick with issues here in the U.S.?
So,
these “Goliaths” walk down to the valley floor day after day, with the taunt of
“I dare you to take me on.” They shore
up their taunts with labels. To defy
them makes one a liberal, a conservative; un-American, a patriot; a right or a left-winger. In the Biblical account, Goliath was led onto
the field by his armor bearer. The
modern Goliaths scream out their threats and all their little minions begin to
flood the inboxes of their target with prewritten emails.
Those
of us in the conservation and law enforcement field spend a great deal of
resources dealing with these self-proclaimed giants. I recall a meeting with a legislator about reports
from his constituents concerning wildlife officers patrolling a lake in his
district. These callers were affluent, influential
people in a gated community who felt that they should be left alone to do as
they pleased. The legislator’s final
words to me were, “I want the phone calls to stop. I don’t care what you do or how you do it,
but I want the calls to stop.” He was
tired of hearing the giants’ taunts.
Whether
Gladwell is correct in his assessment of Goliath’s medical condition and
David’s skills made him less of an underdog than some think, or if we view
David as divinely ordained to slay the Philistine to elevate him to a position
of leadership in Israel; the giant still fell.
Not only did he fall, seeing their champion dead, all Philistines turned
and ran. All it took was a shepherd delivering food to his brothers to say, “Let no one lose heart on
account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
David
saw an opening that left Goliath vulnerable to attack, a small gap in the armor
on his helmet. Instead of being
paralyzed to the point of inaction, we should be looking for those gaps and exploit
them. David moved forward in a spirit of
righteousness so we should always question our motives for taking on giants.
I
hope you will forgive a little reading between the lines, but I like to think
that just before letting loose that stone, David switched to the King James
English and told Goliath, “And now I shall kick thine ass.” We have all wanted to say that many times. Maybe it is time that we (figuratively) do just that.
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