Article - 70 Week 30 The Rewards Of Criticism:

Article - 70 Week 30

The Rewards Of Criticism:

"We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure frank criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship, for to undertake to wound or offend." - Michel de Montaigne (French Philosopher and Thinker)

We are far too used to a culture of flattery and a false sense self glorification. In olden days there used to be professional flatterers in the courts of aristocrats and kings. Every one with money and a social standing, lived on a over spiced diet of flattery. Even our gods indulged in this luxury. The remnants of this culture is suffocatingly dominant in our work places. The less privileged are tacitly coerced into demeaning themselves from saying 'multiple times of Sirs', to folding  or wringing hands, to looking down at the floors  etc, in order to keep the bloated ego of the privileged in its elevated pedestal, supported by the eluding legs of flattery. The best negotiator for paying lesser bribes are those who can flatter the Babu to no end, without any sense of logic or decency. Some times I have been bemused by the ingenious Babus who flatter back with a consummate skill to up their price. It's amazingly hilarious to be part of such negotiations. The parties pretend to be like blood brothers and offer to sacrifice their lives for the other, only to seal the deal at a suitable price.

Therefore, there is this chronic scorn to criticism & critics in our society, to the point of intolerance and violent retribution. People and organizations are blinded with rage, when criticized. This stems partly from our inherited history and also our propensity to hold on to what privileges we already have - no matter how unfairly we might have acquired them. Coupled with this is the stubbornness to avoid inevitable changes, dictated by time of openness and equity. 

Had their been no critics, we would still be living in the stone ages. The aspersion that the critics only display their flair of painting in repulsive black, the softer belly of an issue, with quite a pompousness and audacity, while completely ignoring the brighter side, does not belittle their usefulness and gravity. The society needs to see the dark side of things from as many perspectives as possible in order to bring light and drive change. Pragmatically speaking, our systems have many evils. Many would agree that the evils outweigh the goodness we possess in our governance and society. Leaving the debate open to the degrees of goodness or badness, we would rather do good by articulating the painful parts. This awareness is the first pointer towards a positive change. And we need a change from this never ending cycle of vice. After all, wisdom of the crowd can only prevail through debates from all possible perspectives.

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Brgds

Capt Rath