"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."The man in the arena has earned the right to be a critic. He has survived the gauntlet. The nagger is a wannabe critic. The nagger has lived a life of comfort outside the arena.
Some of the people I consider to be forged in the arena: Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Stefan Molyneux, Thomas Wictor, Vox Day, Scott Adams, Rollo Tomassi, Ivan Throne, Mike Cernovich, Ed Latimore, Alexander Juan Antonio Cortes, Anthony Johnson. Whether it be real estate, women, nutrition/fitness, or entrepreneurship, these people are battle-tested.
When you read the About Me section of someone from the arena, there is some tale of struggle and triumph. And these struggles may have lasted years. In addition, these guys weren't looking for trouble. Life dealt them a tough hand and they found a way to make the best out of it. I have no doubt struggle is essential to understanding progress and building civilization. As a result, their opinions carry weight.
Some of the naggers: Barack Obama, almost every MSM "journalist", government bureaucrats. These people have lived cushy lives, gone to cushy universities, and then got cushy jobs. They won't go to battle, but they'll happily send your children to battle.
No doubt, the infantilization of the West has created an epidemic of naggers. Think about how a child acts. "Are we there yet? Look at me. Me me me." A child believes he is the center of attention and that all of his ideas are the best ideas. The child also needs constant affirmation, thus the constant peppering for attention. The arena allows a child to grow up, develop his own sense of confidence, and become a productive member of the tribe. Instead we have grown-children living in a Harry Potter fantasy dreaming about defeating an imaginary monster, completely oblivious to the actual monsters just outside their comfortable bubble.
The big question is how can you tell you are getting grown up criticism versus childish nagging? Emotional arguments are a sign of childish temper tantrums. Phrases to look out for from the children include "How can you say that?" "Are you for real?" "Wow." Using shame is a feminine and childish tactic. Men in the arena ask big picture, unfiltered, and raw questions, while the naggers point to petty little differences and avoid sounding unpleasant and brutish. The men in the arena have no time for your feelings and snobbish senses of decorum. Honestly, I believe your intuition is great at detecting who is battled-tested and who is a poser.
I am in no position to criticize people because I too have lived a life of comfort. I don't have much life experience. Instead what I do is listen to all the men in the arena and test out what works for me. Through my own experimenting and experiencing life, I hope to earn my seat at the table with the other men in the arena.
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