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 them 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, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in 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 fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Teddy Roosevelt
Bully!
Lots of drama lately in regards to lines and such in April 13. Take our 26th president's word for what it's worth.
Here's my take...if you aren't in it for the long haul, you have nothing to say. Our enemy is not each other, our enemy is nicotine. Let's not forget that if you are reading these words, you are an addict. Whatever number u typed behind your name today, you are in the arena. You have chosen this battle. You will enter the arena everyday. Some days you may not feel like putting on the armor or picking up your weapon. But u do it. Odaat. Because if you choose to not put on the armor or grab hold of your weapon, you will die in the arena.
Unity brings power. We are unified against our enemy (nicotine). We are unified in our strategy (wake up, post your promise to not use nicotine for one day, live free from nicotine, go to bed with your integrity intact, wake up and repeat).
Since we are all in the same arena, battling the same enemy, using the same strategy, let's not get distracted by checking out each others armor and swinging motions. You may choose an axe or a trident, you may swing overhead or baseball style, your helmet may have a nose piece or it may not. You may have a small shield, or a large one. Whatever the case, let's not get to caught up in our specific tactics and weapon choices, when at anyone moment, an arrow could come in and strike a death blow.
I believe we should share tactics that are helpful in the daily, hand to hand combat, however I believe that engaging in long discourses over the benefits of tridents or battle axes can be counterproductive and dangerous.
Abe Lincoln Quoted Jesus when he said, a house divided cannot stand.
Stand United.
