As someone who loves history, I frequently find myself inspired by the great words of people who have come before me. This feels like a perfect moment to remind all of us of some much-needed inspiration. Here for your reading pleasure is how I remember The Man in the Arena, from my favorite president Teddy Roosevelt.
"It is not the critic who counts...unless of course it is a movie festival or film screening, like Supergirl—that movie did screen poorly but still looks good to me;
Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles...unless the man stumbles in a truly embarrassing fashion, like loses his britches or poops himself during a marathon or truly just face-plants—like something you would see on a 12-year-old girl’s TikTok;
Or where the doer of deeds could have done them better...again, unless the doer really was just tragically bad and should have known better than to even get involved in the whole thing from the start-- like an MLM or an online course.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena...but not in the cheap seats. Not the ones they give away when the radio promos go worse than planned and they have a glut of tickets remaining—like an 80’s monsters-of-rock-fest reunion featuring only Ratt, Warrant, and Mr. Big. The tickets should at least be lower-level, preferably in the first 20 rows and not too far on the side. More in the middle with easy access to the aisles for bathroom breaks. That is when the doer of the deeds should be commended for having the foresight to keep monitoring the Ticketmaster website for the best deals on tickets he could both afford but were worthwhile.
Then, when the man leaves the arena, hopefully he will remember where he parked and not be so drunk that he causes an accident or holds up the line. That frequently happens when folks are in from out of town and don’t know the traffic patterns in and around the arena. In those cases, it is ok to judge, but also offer instructive advice on how to exit quickly and efficiently.
This is why we honor the man in the arena, the doer of deeds, and an overall swell guy.”
