I confess I can't stand those who are just commenters. The chatterbox professionals, who analyse, but do not propose. They seem banal, irresponsible, weak to me, with degrees of such refinement that they seem to be posturing specialists. In moments of intense cold, we need someone to bring blankets and to insulate the building well, not a commentator who simply transmits the data. And, when the heat oppresses, someone to open the windows, or better yet, to plant trees to mitigate future heat. We don't waste our time listening to would-be charlatans.
Those who only comment on reality without thinking, analyzing, proposing or attempting solutions are usually disappointing. As highlighted in the poem Quien hace vive by Vicente Aleixandre, Nobel Prize in Literature: "Hacer es vivir más".
We remember the sensational speech of the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, delivered in 1910, which contains an inspiring passage: "What counts is not the critic, not the person who points out how the strong stumble or the person of action I could have done better. The credit goes to the one who is in the arena, with his face full of sand, sweat and blood [...] and who in the worst case, if he fails, at least he fails by daring big, so that his place is not he will never be among those cold and shy 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 final in 1995. They won against the All Blacks, who were the favourites. In history, the best strategy has been to go down to the arena and thread the needle instead of exclaiming. We have to take risks, propose, work instead of just commenting. Do after having reflected, with judgment, commitment and fighting for what is just. And as if we were still dealing with the covid pandemic, let's keep the commentators at least five meters away.
