We all remember that one relative or friend who would always find newer and better methods to pull us down with their critical look and sharp tongue.
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Have you ever considered the possibility that we may quickly get to a very incorrect conclusion if we evaluate ourselves just based on our goals and others based on their actions? Criticising is an act that defines our honesty and level-headedness. What is amusing or fascinating is that not everyone can criticise effectively. A Google search yielded roughly 18 different forms of criticism. It’s then that it struck me that what people are doing most of the time to each other is common. We all remember that one relative or friend who would always find newer and better methods to pull us down with their critical look and sharp tongue. It’s the fineness of the words selected that does the trick.
So odd enough it could be a double-edged sword.
Well, does anyone benefit from this act? Actually yes. There’s a different edge and it’s a different game altogether. The difficulty lies in concealing the harsh truth and lacing the bluntness with veiled hints. For a teacher, it’s an easy art. She can layer the actual harshness with synonyms that would convey the truth with diplomacy and professionalism. Many teachers would nod in agreement about the countless jugglery of words they would adopt during the parent-teacher meetings. Another scenario would be the ongoing elections where the politicians leave no stone unturned to criticise endlessly. The vitriolic bursts of the politicians are to be admired. They appear unfazed in spewing acidic comments while lashing out at their opponents, digging out their secrets, and exposing them to the public. The common man is at a crossroads while deciphering the bursts of accusations and promises.
Criticising could be art for professional language experts, art curators, and movie buffs. A whole new world of opportunities is created for them. They air their viewpoints surreptitiously, camouflaging the negative aspects. It’s often a fine line they tread as in their criticism lies their originality. Anyone with wisdom would not venture into blatant frankness, while they have to criticise to survive in the game, they also have to be cautious in not getting entangled in any legal hassles. While freedom of speech and words may be true in some countries, one cannot utter a volley of self-opinionated words. It could backfire and one could be accused of being a racist or worse an anti-national person. We must not criticise unless we are well informed. The judgmental remarks aimed at someone would only create bitterness or result in people distancing from us. The well-informed critic would cleverly point out the flaws and offer advice to remove them.
It would be fascinating to learn that, in his early years, Abraham Lincoln frequently chastised people. He frequently insulted and degraded his opponents in public through letters and poetry. He made fun of a politician by the name of James Shields in a letter that was published in the fall of 1842. The letter caused the entire city to erupt in laughter. Consequently, Mr. Shields, who was sensitive and proud, mounted his horse, rode to see Mr. Lincoln, and issued a challenge to a duel. One of the most awkward moments of Lincoln’s life, this incident gave him important insight into how to treat others. He never again wrote an offensive letter. He never again made fun of someone in public. He hardly ever gave criticism to anyone after that day.
A warning that having influence and a penchant for criticism might not always be something to aspire for.
Nothing could be truer than the words by the Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Eliezer Wiesel: “I continue to cling to words because it is up to us to transform them into instruments of comprehension rather than contempt. It is up to us to choose whether we wish to use them to curse or to heal, to wound or to console.”
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