You know, sir, it’s a funny thing. All my life I kept running into smart people. I don’t just mean smart like you and the people in this house. You know what I mean. In school, there were lots of smarter kids. And when I first joined the force, sir, they had some very clever people there. And I could tell right away that it wasn’t gonna be easy making detective as long as they were around. But I figured, if I worked harder than they did, put in more time, read the books, kept my eyes open, maybe I could make it happen. And I did. And I really love my work, sir.
COLUMBO
I love mysteries and detective stories. I have loved them ever since I was in elementary school reading Encyclopedia Brown books. I would graduate to the Hardy Boys and The Three Investigators. As an adult, I like Agatha Christie stories. The king of fictional detectives is Sherlock Holmes, but my favorite detective is Lt. Columbo. I have a real attachment to that character.
Before my accident that injured my brain, I was Sherlock Holmes. Problems would come up at work, and I would solve them very rapidly. The solutions were genius such that I amazed myself. My co-workers would recognize the genius but zip their lips. That was probably to the good because genius begets pride which begets stupidity.
My TBI ended my Sherlock Holmes abilities. I solve problems, but it takes much longer now. It takes me awhile to get to the conclusion, but I also don't jump to conclusions. That was a persistent flaw in the Sherlock Holmes days of my life. I didn't always get it right.
After my accident, I discovered Columbo. I think this discovery was a product of Divine Providence. God was telling me that I was dumber but also smarter as a consequence of my accident. My pride in my intelligence was gone and replaced with humility and patience. Sherlock Holmes had become Columbo.
Sherlock Holmes solves crimes through sheer intelligence. He is a genius. His conclusions come quickly and are rarely wrong. Columbo doesn't have this level of genius. He solves the crime in a similar fashion to Holmes, but he takes a longer time to do it. His virtue is not genius but persistence.
Was Columbo a genius? The best episode of the series answers this question for me. In The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case, Columbo matches wits with a literal genius who tests him with a mental puzzle to test Columbo's IQ. Columbo does solve the puzzle but only later in the episode after thinking over it for a long time. He also solves the crime. The reality is that Columbo isn't a genius but an average guy who doesn't give up until he has the answer. Persistence trumps intellect.
Episode review: Columbo The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case
Columbo is my hero. He may be fictional, but I try to emulate his humility and his persistence. I find Sherlock Holmes to be a bit pompous and not worth emulating at all. Columbo is my detective. I will never pretend to be a genius in my life ever again. I will take my time and never give up. That is the way.
As a postscript, I love this line Columbo utters in my favorite episode. “Here I’ve been talking with the most intelligent people in the world and I never even noticed." That is unintimidation. It is not that Columbo thinks he is smarter than these geniuses. He knows they are not smarter than him. Don't let smart people dazzle you with their intelligence. We all have stories of geniuses who were also complete idiots. Don't fall for the hype. Be a blue collar detective and keep at it.
I'm working. In fact, I can’t remember a time I’m never working.
COLUMBO
