Size matters; or does it? Or perhaps size does matter, but not in the way we think it does.
A friend tells me that, in a conversation with her husband back in February, she had said the only way to control the Coronavirus is to simultaneously shut down all the borders, all around the world. “That’s impossible” he had replied at the time. And yet, here we are.
The microscopic Coronavirus virus particle measures approximately 120 nm (1 nm = 10−9 metre) in diameter, and is taking down the behemoth Planet Earth, with an equatorial radius of 6,378 km (3,963 miles). How very David v Goliath.
Six months ago, before I had even heard the word Covid, I read a book with the title David and Goliath. When he was writing it, the author, Malcolm Gladwell, researched a bunch of biblical texts in hope of getting a better understanding of the famous story, of how the solid giant was defeated by the little man. The ancient texts uncovered nothing new, except, disappointingly, only the location of where the fight took place. Gladwell did however glean some useful insight when discussing his research with his friend, an endocrinologist, who pointed out that Goliath was likely enormous in stature due to an overactive pituitary gland, secreting excess human growth hormone into his body, the side effects of which are extreme size and half-blindness. This insight, gave perception to Gladwell, to understand better why giants fail: they cannot see, quite literally (in Goliath’s case) and also figuratively, (in the case of the many large corporations to which the book refers.)
How is this ancient story relevant today? While we are still in Level 3 lockdown, and the global tourism industry has come to a grinding halt, I can’t help wondering how all the giants are faring. Leading hotels are closed around the world. International aeroplanes are grounded. And there is no clear end in sight, until a vaccine is found. It’s disastrous for every business in the tourism industry, but with time, it will surely be most disastrous for the big corporations. Fat cats on fat salaries can’t be sustained forever from the corporate coffers, while doors are closed. As hotels, restaurants and airlines open up slowly, and cautiously, will it be the smaller, leaner, nimbler ‘Davids’ who emerge triumphant? In a world where multinationals and have ruled supreme for so long, will the underdogs finally have their day? Time will tell who will be the ones to prevail.
This David vs Goliath is a theme with thousands of real life examples, but I won’t bore you with any of them because you probably know several already. The strong are often surprisingly weak, if looked at from the right angle. People who seem weak can turn out to be surprisingly strong. The moral of the story? Don’t feel weak because you are small. Don’t aim to be a Goliath. Dare to be a David, and aim to defeat the Goliath instead! You might just hit bullseye. 🎯 If a microscopic Coronavirus can take down the world; just think what you could do..
