It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Hmmm…..If this is the case and taken at face value, I guess I never should have criticized George Bush for invading Iraq or for his failed foreign policy (not to mention his failed domestic policy). I never should have criticized Nixon or the Vietnam War or demonstrated against the Vietnam War. I never should have withheld the portion of my income taxes that went to support the Vietnam War. I never should have criticized the US government for propping up right wing dictatorships in Central and South America. I should not be criticizing the US government for sticking its nose into every other country's business. I should not be criticizing the big oil companies for polluting the environment. I should not be working to overturn the death penalty. I should not be writing letters to free political prisoners. After all, the people behind those various decisions and policies think they are doing the right thing. Even Hitler thought he was doing the right thing.
It takes a courageous person to ask questions, point out problems with the status quo and fight for change. I do not think Nelson Mendela, Henry David Thoreau, Martin Niemoller, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and many other courageous people who criticized others and the status quo were “cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
Here is one of my favorite quotes:
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
Judy
