I confess that I can’t stand those who are only commentators. The professionals of the palaver, who analyze, but do not propose. They seem banal, irresponsible, weak, with degrees of such refinement that they seem like posturing specialists. In times of intense cold, we need someone to bring blankets and insulate the building well, not a commentator who simply transmits the information. And, when the heat hits, someone to open the windows, or better yet, to plant trees to mitigate future heat. Let’s not waste time listening to wannabe charlatans.
Those who only comment on reality without thinking, analyzing, proposing or trying solutions are usually disappointing. As the poem Who Does Live by Vicente Aleixandre, Nobel Prize winner in Literature, highlights: “To do is to live more.”
Let us remember the sensational speech of the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, delivered in 1910 and containing an inspiring fragment: “It is not the critic who counts; nor the one who points out how the strong man falters, or where the perpetrator could have done better. Recognition belongs to the man who is in the arena, with his face disfigured by dust and sweat and blood […] and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails by daring greatly, so that His place will never be among those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
The great Nelson Mandela gave a copy of this speech to the captain of the South African rugby team before the 1995 final. They won against the All Blacks, who were the favorites. In history, the best strategy has been to descend into the sand and get to work instead of putting your hands on your head. We must take risks, propose, work instead of limiting ourselves to commenting. Do it after having reflected, with judgment, commitment and fighting for what is fair. And as if we were still facing the Covid pandemic, let’s keep commentators at least five meters away.
