An important thing to remember that perhaps we could all take to heart is that self-flaggelation doesn't yield anything and isn't the same as accountability and improvement. And that goes for the barbs you direct at yourself as much as it goes for what you project onto everyone else.
[ Sam's seen and heard enough to know that much is true. Wandered out on some especially unnecessary vitriol, grabbed jello shots from Yelena, came back in. He couldn't not be here. Even if it drives him mad, this sort of cyclical discussion that rarely ever yields true results and in which emotions rile up. In which people would rather shout their cynicism than pull together. It makes him think back to Secretary Ross pushing on people's guilt in order to push through poorly though out, kneejerk regulations that ultimately served nobody but himself. A poor grab for power and control. And the Avengers had torn themselves apart over it. The discussions in here don't feel all that different to the point he starts wondering when, down the line, they'll come to blows with each other. Put 60 people in a room and you'll have too many different valid viewpoints to come together sensibly. But he's not here to argue that. ]
There's a line between accountability and letting hypotheticals dictate what we're all here to do. Uninvoled observation is a non-starter, else we wouldn't be here. You can disagree with me all you want, and I'm certainly not advocating that we're tryna fix every systemic issue we encounter on foreign worlds. I dare say few of us have an in-depth understanding of the political realities of the worlds we're from. But you don't gotta be a politician to realize inaction when you're already involved in any capacity, when you do not have the know how, intel and infrastructure to remain a truly neutral observer, is as much a choice as action is.
[ Dry as bone, that part. ]
It's fundamentally incorrect to argue that we leave a mess behind wherever we go. Frankly, you can miss me with that take. Don't let anyone say you ain't done any good just because things got messy. That's how you spook people into becoming bystanders. And I don't know about you, but I ain't gonna stand idly by every single situation I encounter on the thought that I might overstep or might make a mistake.
Consider that even in the face of people hating or scapegoating us for what went wrong, and it's without a doubt important to take that to heart and consider what we could and should do better, we ultimately helped do a lot of good - in our last mission as well as the ones before, and you absolutely cannot lose sight of that. If we lose ourselves in too many hypotheticals when the variables will shift on every damn mission, we're just gonna freeze.
Besides, if we go down that path, we might as well start picking apart hypotheticals about what coulda gone wrong had we stepped up less. It ain't helping anyone to do that. And it goes without saying that we can absolutely do better. We all, individually and and as a group, can always try to do better. My advice is... don't do what's easy - do what's right, to the best of your knowledge, to the best of your ability.
Accept that for everyone you help along the way, there's gonna be someone you fail on some level. Accept that people will hate you for trying and succeeding as much as they'll hate you for trying and failing. It sucks. It don't mean you fold, or have a go at others who were tryna help people. Cynicism's the easy part. Get comfortable with the hard part, too. It's as simple and as complicated as that.
[ He rubs a hand over his face. Crosses his arms, then gestures to the room at large. Frankly, he knows the bad takes his words might get. And he gets it - he's seen enough people think they know better and make choices on behalf of others, and where that can lead. Team Iron Man was never wrong about that part of it, after all. But you can't strawman and hypothetical your way through life and wash your hands clean of doing the right thing just because you don't wanna step on toes or are scared of failing, either. ]
And look. Perhaps it's time we step up and acknowledge that we all suck at seeking help when we need it and are much too used at ignoring warning signs in ourselves and others that indicate help is necessary. Because it seems to me that much of what went wrong recently was either good intentions we have absolutely no business clipping, or people needing help none of us were equipped to see becoming necessary. Perhaps it's time that instead of trying to run at every situation alone as fast as we can, we try and look to our team. That might not always be possible, of course, and you might not always like it. But end of the day, this ain't a one man show.
And I'll be the first to admit that I could do better leading with example on that. I'd stick my neck out for every single one of you because that's what you do when you exist in a community, but I also know damn well I get caught up in acting and taking risks on my own. If you take anything away from what I'm saying, maybe let it be this. You ain't alone. Involve others in what you're planning and doing if you can, on and off mission. And reach out when you're drowning - on and off mission.
action
[ Sam's seen and heard enough to know that much is true. Wandered out on some especially unnecessary vitriol, grabbed jello shots from Yelena, came back in. He couldn't not be here. Even if it drives him mad, this sort of cyclical discussion that rarely ever yields true results and in which emotions rile up. In which people would rather shout their cynicism than pull together. It makes him think back to Secretary Ross pushing on people's guilt in order to push through poorly though out, kneejerk regulations that ultimately served nobody but himself. A poor grab for power and control. And the Avengers had torn themselves apart over it. The discussions in here don't feel all that different to the point he starts wondering when, down the line, they'll come to blows with each other. Put 60 people in a room and you'll have too many different valid viewpoints to come together sensibly. But he's not here to argue that. ]
There's a line between accountability and letting hypotheticals dictate what we're all here to do. Uninvoled observation is a non-starter, else we wouldn't be here. You can disagree with me all you want, and I'm certainly not advocating that we're tryna fix every systemic issue we encounter on foreign worlds. I dare say few of us have an in-depth understanding of the political realities of the worlds we're from. But you don't gotta be a politician to realize inaction when you're already involved in any capacity, when you do not have the know how, intel and infrastructure to remain a truly neutral observer, is as much a choice as action is.
[ Dry as bone, that part. ]
It's fundamentally incorrect to argue that we leave a mess behind wherever we go. Frankly, you can miss me with that take. Don't let anyone say you ain't done any good just because things got messy. That's how you spook people into becoming bystanders. And I don't know about you, but I ain't gonna stand idly by every single situation I encounter on the thought that I might overstep or might make a mistake.
Consider that even in the face of people hating or scapegoating us for what went wrong, and it's without a doubt important to take that to heart and consider what we could and should do better, we ultimately helped do a lot of good - in our last mission as well as the ones before, and you absolutely cannot lose sight of that. If we lose ourselves in too many hypotheticals when the variables will shift on every damn mission, we're just gonna freeze.
Besides, if we go down that path, we might as well start picking apart hypotheticals about what coulda gone wrong had we stepped up less. It ain't helping anyone to do that. And it goes without saying that we can absolutely do better. We all, individually and and as a group, can always try to do better. My advice is... don't do what's easy - do what's right, to the best of your knowledge, to the best of your ability.
Accept that for everyone you help along the way, there's gonna be someone you fail on some level. Accept that people will hate you for trying and succeeding as much as they'll hate you for trying and failing. It sucks. It don't mean you fold, or have a go at others who were tryna help people. Cynicism's the easy part. Get comfortable with the hard part, too. It's as simple and as complicated as that.
[ He rubs a hand over his face. Crosses his arms, then gestures to the room at large. Frankly, he knows the bad takes his words might get. And he gets it - he's seen enough people think they know better and make choices on behalf of others, and where that can lead. Team Iron Man was never wrong about that part of it, after all. But you can't strawman and hypothetical your way through life and wash your hands clean of doing the right thing just because you don't wanna step on toes or are scared of failing, either. ]
And look. Perhaps it's time we step up and acknowledge that we all suck at seeking help when we need it and are much too used at ignoring warning signs in ourselves and others that indicate help is necessary. Because it seems to me that much of what went wrong recently was either good intentions we have absolutely no business clipping, or people needing help none of us were equipped to see becoming necessary. Perhaps it's time that instead of trying to run at every situation alone as fast as we can, we try and look to our team. That might not always be possible, of course, and you might not always like it. But end of the day, this ain't a one man show.
And I'll be the first to admit that I could do better leading with example on that. I'd stick my neck out for every single one of you because that's what you do when you exist in a community, but I also know damn well I get caught up in acting and taking risks on my own. If you take anything away from what I'm saying, maybe let it be this. You ain't alone. Involve others in what you're planning and doing if you can, on and off mission. And reach out when you're drowning - on and off mission.