(Goliath, who would like to address several exaggerations)
Now, before we begin, I will make one thing perfectly clear:
I was not, as has been suggested, overconfident.
I was appropriately confident given the available data.
On Being a Giant
It has been widely reported that I was “nine feet tall,” which I do not dispute, though I will say it tends to become the only thing anyone remembers about a man.
I had:
- a military career
- a respectable sense of discipline
- and a helmet that required custom fabrication
Yet somehow, history has reduced me to:
“Tall fellow who lost a disagreement with a rock.”
Where is the nuance in that?
The Situation
We had two armies.
Two hills.
And a valley between.
Now, in most cases, such a situation results in a battle.
But on this occasion, we agreed, quite sensibly, I thought, to settle matters with a representative contest.
I was selected.
Which, again, seemed reasonable.
The First Misunderstanding
Each day, I stepped forward and issued the challenge.
Now I want to emphasize:
I was not yellin’.
I was projectin’.
There is a difference.
And when no one came down to meet me, I began to suspect not cowardice…
…but poor communication.
Enter the Boy
One afternoon, I see movement.
A figure steps forward.
Small.
Very small.
At first, I assumed he was deliverin’ a message.
Perhaps a request for revised terms.
Instead, he approaches with a stick and what appears to be a… leather pouch.
Now I ask you, as a reasonable observer:
At what point am I to conclude that this is a formal opponent?
An Attempt at Clarification
I said, calmly, I might add:
“Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?”
This was not mockery.
It was a legitimate question.
He did not answer it.
Instead, he started speaking about divine support, which I respect as a concept, but prefer to see expressed through conventional weaponry.
The Critical Error (Which Was Not Mine)
Now I will admit, I made one assumption.
Just one.
I assumed the engagement would proceed according to established practices:
- approach
- exchange
- resolution
What I did not account for was…
Innovation.
The Stone
There was a motion.
A blur.
A moment in which I realized, too late as it turned out, that the distance between us had not been a safety measure…
but a strategy.
Now I have heard it said that the stone struck me in the forehead.
This is accurate.
What is often omitted is the brief but vivid thought that passed through my mind at that exact instant:
“Well now… that was unexpected.”
Aftermath (As I Understand It)
I fell.
The armies reacted.
History took notes.
And somewhere along the way, the entire affair was simplified into a lesson about size not matterin’.
Which, I feel, overlooks several key details:
- preparation matters
- expectations matter
- and most importantly…
If a man shows up to a duel with a tool you do not recognize…
You should ask more questions.
Closing Statement
Now I bear no ill will toward the boy.
He was efficient.
Decisive.
And clearly workin’ from a different set of instructions.
But if I may leave you with one final thought, it is this:
It is not that the giant fell.
It is that the rules changed…
…and no one thought to inform me.
And that, as near as I can reconstruct it, is how I became a metaphor.
olbigjim 