By Scott Reddoch
In the sixth grade I fell in love with history. I had always liked the subject but I had a great teacher who connected then to now. He relived the moments as he taught. The students were always engaged and it stands out as one of my favorite classes.
We were covering the Roman Empire and he told us to pick a topic about ancient Rome and write an essay on it. The majority of the class did their papers on famous leaders or grand achievements. I wrote about loss.
Maybe I was a little weird.
The battle of Cannae is considered by many to be the biggest military loss of the Roman Empire. Hannibal was responsible. He was whipping the Romans at every turn. Many worried that he would soon take the city.
Prior to that, a Roman general, Fabius Maximus had been tasked with defeating Hannibal. His slow and cautious style earned him the nickname “the delayer.” His strategy worked militarily but not politically. He was replaced. Then Hannibal really put it on them.
There wasn’t anything great or heroic about Fabius’s war of attrition. You couldn’t see much progress and Rome wasn’t getting the big wins they craved. Fabius got fired for not making people feel good. I can understand both sides. The practical solution usually isn’t the pretty one.
It didn’t feel good but it worked. Hannibal wasn’t concerned with what felt good. He was coming, this was happening, and something needed to be done about it. After Rome’s devastating loss at Cannae, Fabius’s strategy fell into favor. Hannibal was eventually defeated. In part by Fabius’s tactics. He was even called the Shield of Rome.
When I turned in that essay my teacher told me not many students had written about the battle of Cannae. It was pretty strong work for a sixth grader. I got an A.
I’m not sure what led me to pick it. We were always learning about Roman wins. I wanted to know what a Roman loss looked like.
I don’t want anyone to think I idolize Fabius. I don’t know that much about him. He’s just someone from a sixth grade history paper who has some similarities to my life.
My physical recovery is almost nonexistent. You don’t see my progress. That is probably similar to watching Fabius on the battlefield. Hannibal’s “ready or not here I come” flavor is one I know real well.
I try not to let my feelings about something decide how I am supposed to act. Feelings are emotional. I want to thoughtfully respond, not react.
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