day no. 15,863: fast and loose with other people's reputations

"(Cowards) usually have no shortage of opinions as to what others ought to be doing; they’re brave with other people’s lives and reputations. Conflict and justice involve risks. In a fallen world, the pursuit of justice sometimes requires warfare, which, inevitably, requires getting shot at." -- Douglas Wilson, A Justice Primer

It takes no backbone to play fast and loose with someone else's reputation. It is easy to know what someone else should do. It costs the critic nothing to see what costs someone else should be paying.

This tendency is what makes us good at reading stories. We intuitively know what each character ought to do or have done. That is why it is crucial for us to see ourselves as characters in a story. God is the Author and we are acting on the stage He has placed us during the part of the play He has called us up. When we step back and see ourselves like we see other characters in a story, it often becomes obvious what we should do. We know how to read other people's stories, but have we learned how to read our own?

“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.” -- Theodore Roosevelt

Literary criticism is easier than being a noble character. The critic can count the blunders, but cannot be counted upon to avoid them himself. The critic is an expert in reading other people's stories and an amateur actor in his own.

Cowards become critical experts of what other characters should be doing. The courageous are those who embrace their roles and play their parts to the glory of their God and the good of their neighbor.

1 Corinthians 16:13

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Be a better character. Consider what a man would do and make that your script and then devote all of your energy to acting it out and playing the part assigned to you by your Director.