Daily Meditation: Sunday, July 18, 2010

Constructive help - address what is best in each person

07/18/2010

It is obvious that humans are imperfect, but if your attitude is to constantly criticize them it's not at all constructive. You should ask yourself whether you are merely wanting to give vent to your discontent and exasperation or whether you really wish to help them. To help someone, you have to be constructive, and so you have to address what is best in them, show them you see their qualities (everyone has at least one) and appeal to these. You elicit their sense of self-esteem, and they try not to let you down; this is how you get them to improve. Do not think you can get people to improve by endlessly stressing their imperfections, by calling them useless, dishonest or liars, for if you do they will no longer make any effort. Since you have already made up your mind about them, why would they bother?