1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, Welcome to shop Talk number forty one. Welcome in. 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: How you doing, Alex? Good? 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 2: It's good to be in. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: Welcome in. I Uh, you looking for anything particular or 5 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: just hanging out talking? What do you mean, well, you're 6 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: in the shop. I don't know if you can't done 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:17,440 Speaker 1: anything today. 8 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 2: I'm trying to find a new wife. 9 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: How about that? Oh my god, let's go out. Lisa, Lisa, 10 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: she's in the back sewing. She's in the back making 11 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: dresses for the dress rack over there in the corner 12 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:33,599 Speaker 1: of the shop. All right, this thing is called uh, 13 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: you know, this is kind of a crossover of shop 14 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: talk and an army in normal dead folks. Sure, a 15 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: little bit, but we're putting it on shop talk, And honestly, 16 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: this thing's inspired by our very own Alex Cortez. In 17 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: nineteen ten, the year after he left the presidency, Teddy 18 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: Roosevelt embarked on a whirlwind overseas tour that included everything 19 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: from visits to major capitals and heads of state to 20 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: expeditions into African jungles in order to collect specimens for 21 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: the Smithsonian. On April twenty third, at the is its 22 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: sor bonn Er Sorbonne. 23 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 2: I think it's sorbon I think it is. 24 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: On April twenty third, at the Sorbonne and the Grand 25 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: Amphitheater of the University of Paris, he delivered a speech 26 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 1: titled Citizenship in a Republic that the world would simply 27 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: remember as the man in the arena. The Amphitheater was 28 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: jam packed with professors and politicians, ministers of state, and 29 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: navy officers in full regalia, nearly one thousand students and 30 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: an additional two thousand ticket holders. Here is the most 31 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: famous passage from it. It is not the critic who counts, 32 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:59,559 Speaker 1: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, 33 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 34 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: The credit belongs to the man who is actually in 35 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:11,519 Speaker 1: the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat 36 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short 37 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: again and again, because there is no effort without error 38 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: and shortcoming, But who does actually strive to do the deeds, 39 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends 40 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows 41 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, 42 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while 43 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: daring greatly so that this place shall never be with 44 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 1: those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. 45 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: I've read this thing ten times in my life, and 46 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: every time I do, I get a little bit of 47 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: chill up my spine. And today we're going to talk 48 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: about having the courage to be the man in the arena. 49 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: Right after these brief messages from our general sponsors, everybody, 50 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: welcome back to shop talking number forty one, The man 51 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: in the Arena Alex. Job talks are short vignettes, but 52 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: I could literally talk about this for about seven and 53 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: a half hours. Let's go, baby, No, we're going to 54 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: do it very quickly. This was written I think in 55 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: nineteen ten, or at least it was a speech in 56 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: nineteen ten. But it's interesting. It's not the critics who count, 57 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: but we flocked to see Inn and Fox on a 58 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: nightly basis. Listen to what the critics say about all 59 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: these folks who are out there trying. What do you 60 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: think about that, Alex? 61 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 2: There's that, I mean, there's also the stuff like Walt Disney. 62 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 2: If you remember they called it like Disney's folly. I 63 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 2: think when he was trying to make Snow White and 64 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 2: the Seven Doors, and he would call them the naysayers, 65 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 2: very similar to this too. Is so just even outside 66 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 2: of politics too, with business or I've had people with 67 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 2: it with an army and normal folks. You know that's 68 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 2: not going to work or it's not working well enough, 69 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 2: And there's always going to be these naysayers and these 70 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 2: critics out there. 71 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, that sit bey on the sidelines while risking nothing, 72 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: taking shots at the people that are out there trying 73 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: to make something happen. And Teddy Roosevelt reminds us that 74 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: those of us who are trying, we may fail, but 75 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: our place shall never be with those cold and timid 76 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: souls who neither know victory or defeat. I would say, 77 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: those cold and timid souls who neither no victory or 78 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: defeat are just a bunch of sidelined wosses who were 79 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:13,359 Speaker 1: unwilling to at least try. For instance today going on 80 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: right now in Memphis. And like his politics are not 81 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: and I don't want to get into it, but like 82 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 1: his politics are not. Elon Musk is building the world's 83 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: largest supercomputer called Xai in Memphis billions and billions of 84 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: dollars in investment. He bought an abandoned warehouse that the 85 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,840 Speaker 1: city was on the hook for, bailed the city out 86 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:41,679 Speaker 1: when he bought that. Now he's investing billions of dollars 87 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: in an area that needs investment. And these supercomputers need water, 88 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: lots of it. Well, Memphis, it's on a natural aquifer, 89 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: and Memphis largely regards that aquifer is a is a 90 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: huge asset, and we don't want all our water going 91 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: into cool supercomputer because it's our drinking water and it 92 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: sustains us. So Elon Musk company is now building a 93 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: greywater plant. It's going to cost eighty million dollars. The 94 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: city wanted to build a greywater plant, which basically takes 95 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: sewage and wastewater and cleans it so it can be 96 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: used in industrial cooling applications, but city and have the 97 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,359 Speaker 1: money to do it. Musk is going to build it 98 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: out of his pocket and they're only going to use 99 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:35,360 Speaker 1: about thirty percent of the wastewater that's turned into usable 100 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,840 Speaker 1: water from the greywater plant. The other seventy percent will 101 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: go back to the city, go to New Course Steel, 102 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: and back to TVA. It's a gift, and people are 103 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,039 Speaker 1: taking shots at it because they want to know what's 104 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: the real reason behind it and all this other stuff. 105 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,599 Speaker 1: And these people who are taking shots at it have 106 00:06:55,839 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: never once met meta pay roll. They're politicians. They're all 107 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 1: these people sitting on the sidelines taking shots at this thing, 108 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,559 Speaker 1: all the while having never risked a thing in their life. 109 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: They're the very people who Roosevelt talks about are cold 110 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: and timid souls who never know victory of her feet, 111 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: who don't toil with the blood, the sweat, and the tears. 112 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: It's the man in the arena who makes a difference. 113 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: Why does that matter? How does that pertain to an army? 114 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: In normal folks? If you see an area of need 115 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 1: in your world and you know you could fill it, 116 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: but are afraid of failure or afraid of the unknown, 117 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:51,000 Speaker 1: and don't even make the effort because of that fear, 118 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: you will join the ranks of the people who will 119 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: be among the cold and timid souls who will never 120 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: no victory or defeat. It doesn't matter if you fail. 121 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: You have to put yourself in the arena. You will 122 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: no failure, you will air, you will no shortcoming. But 123 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: as he tells us, when you actually strive to do 124 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: the deeds, you will know the great enthusiasm, You will 125 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: understand the great devotion. You will spend time on a 126 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: worthy cause, and you will at the end no triumph 127 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: of high achievement. Or at the worst, if you fail, 128 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: you still fail, daring greatly so that you don't join 129 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 1: the ranks of those cold, intimid souls who neither know 130 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: victory or defeat. Don't be that have the courage to 131 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: step out when you see a need and fill it. 132 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 1: And army of normal folks have to be Teddy Roosevelt's 133 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: people in the arena, and failure is fine. Hopefully you 134 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:08,079 Speaker 1: reach achievement. But an effort with failure is so far 135 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: greater than not having ever tried in the first place, 136 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: because of your timidity. That's the call of the man 137 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: in the arena. And ironically enough, this speech is titled 138 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 1: citizenship in a Republic. If we are actually going to 139 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:37,079 Speaker 1: grow this republic of ours, this democracy of ours, if 140 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: we're going to be citizens in a republic, we are 141 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: only as good as our citizens' willingness to risk, our citizens' 142 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: willingness to throw our hat in the arena that is 143 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: in business, that is in politics, that is everywhere, but 144 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: is also in our philanthropic social endeavors. Shop talk number 145 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: forty one and Army and normal folks requires that we 146 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: are the people in the arena who understand that citizenship 147 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: and republic requires us to throw our hat in the arena. 148 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: What do you think, Alex? 149 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:23,319 Speaker 2: A couple other thoughts. I can't find it online, but 150 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 2: I remember reading somewhere before too that the speech was 151 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 2: largely a celebration of the common man as well, which 152 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 2: is interesting. He goes to this university in Paris, and 153 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 2: here he is celebrating the common. 154 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: Americans, the army of normal tests. 155 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:40,679 Speaker 2: And I think this speech can also speak to I mean, 156 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 2: say you're the dad or the single mom, or just 157 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 2: the parent who's dropping their kids off at school and 158 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 2: busting their butt at work every day and coming home 159 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 2: and dealing with dinner and doing their homework and all 160 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 2: these things too. I mean, that person's who's in the 161 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 2: arena and feels the dust and sweat and blood. I mean, 162 00:10:57,360 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 2: obviously we talk about philanthropically what we could do for 163 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 2: other peop but just the daily grind of being in 164 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 2: the arena. I find this speech something I go back 165 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 2: to constantly, and it also reminds me of two other 166 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 2: of my favorite quotes of Saint Paul's. I fought the 167 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 2: good fight. I finished the race. I kept the faith. 168 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 2: For those of us who are Christian, God's not asking 169 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,200 Speaker 2: us to win the race, is to run the race 170 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 2: and to be faithful and to finish it. 171 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: That's interesting because Roosevelt's here are saying he's not celebrating 172 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: the people who win, correct, just celebrating the people who 173 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:34,959 Speaker 1: will invest their blood, their sweat, and their toil. 174 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 2: It's better to be in the arena and fail than 175 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 2: those people who never tried. 176 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: That's it. That's it. So everybody out there, when you 177 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 1: see an area of need, don't worry if you're going 178 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: to be successful. I'm not filling it, just freaking try, 179 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:51,320 Speaker 1: and we can celebrate the effort. 180 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 2: The final one, one of my other favorite quotes, Helen 181 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 2: Keller said, life is either a daring adventure or nothing 182 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 2: at all. Security does not exist in nature. Avoiding danger 183 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 2: is no safer in the long run than exposure. Life 184 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 2: is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. 185 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 1: Is that there? It is? Yeah, Shop Talk number forty one. 186 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: It's a calling to each of you to throw your 187 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: hat in and be in the arena, to be a 188 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 1: full citizen of our republic, to have the courage to 189 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: try and to maybe no triumph or maybe no failure, 190 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:30,880 Speaker 1: but to not be someone who just doesn't even have 191 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: the courage to make that effort. If you like this 192 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: shop Talk, please rate and review it, Share with friends 193 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: and on social join the army. 194 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 2: And normal Folks out us. Become a premium member there. 195 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, you can write me anytime at Bill at normal 196 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: folks dot us and hopefully what you have to say, 197 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: I have something to add and if not, I'll always respond. 198 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 1: And thanks to our producer, Right Light Labs, we'll see 199 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 1: you next week. After you, sir, forgot to ring the bell. 200 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:04,079 Speaker 1: Oh are you leaving? 201 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:05,559 Speaker 2: No, I'm not leaving. 202 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 1: You're staying in the shop overnight, in the shop m hm.