There may be no time that offers a better window into the character of an individual, a leader, an organization, or a nation, than how they respond to an emergency.
It has been so gratifying to see communities around southern California, northern California, and throughout the west, from Oregon and Washington to Utah, and as far east as Houston Texas, respond to the tragic wildfires in Los Angeles in the spirit of shared humanity, and instinctive sacrifice and heroism. Resources from Canada, Mexico, and other nations have likewise joined the effort to ease the loss, and make these communities whole once again. Even Ukraine has offered to share from their hard-pressed resources to pay back a people they feel have done so much to protect them..
I have nothing but admiration for these men and women.
Then there are those who sit on the sidelines, contributing nothing, yet mercilessly critiquing those who help. They are like middle-aged football fans, who scream insults at their televisions, when an elite athlete can't quite haul in a down-field pass, then grunt like a swine as they haul their lard-asses out of their appropriately-named Lazy-Boys, to trudge off to the fridge for yet another beer.
Teddy Roosevelt spoke of these folks, and their shallow, lazy, meaningless critiques of 'doers' in his short piece, 'The Man in the Arena'
The Man in the Arena
