An S6 student participated in a group interview for admission to the nursing course at the university. The student was introverted and weak in eloquence. All the other applicants were articulate with tit for tat. The entire interview time was almost completely divided by opponents. The student finally had an opportunity to speak for a minute. The student said: “Nursing is a helping profession. The ability to criticize is surely important, but it’s more helpful to be able to listen!”. The student is admitted, and wisdom is learned. We love to criticize with our eloquence, but listening is certainly a better way to gain wisdom. How do we respond to criticism? How do we evaluate whether the criticism is constructive or destructive? I feel comfortable when praised, but I learned from the Bible that it is better to be criticized by wise men than to be praised. “A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. Godly men tell the truth; a false witness tells lies. Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. – Proverbs 12:16-18”. Stay calm, and don’t lash back. Measure criticism according to the character of the person who is giving it – evaluate if the criticism is coming from a person with a reputation for truth or lies, and ask ourselves if the criticism is meant to heal or to hurt.
