Criticism

I'm working very hard to be accepting of myself and of others. I try to notice when I feel that I want to be critical and trace this back to where it's coming from inside me. 

Where There's Smoke did an episode on this. It focused on the fact that criticism is a form of ego defense.  It's not that we disagree with what the person is saying or doing, rather we feel devalued by the attitude or behaviour. Obviously there are some forms of criticism that can be constructive, we just need to be on the look-out for when it is coming, even partially, from this ego based place. People who are most solid with themselves are those who criticize the least. 

I find that sometimes my first instinct when I see something or hear someone's idea can be to point out what's wrong with it. It's a behaviour I've been working hard to flip. From the overarching comments on things in society, we all may have this reflex too well practiced. Even if you disagree with something or see ways it can be improved, it's a fun exercise to just try to affirm the positive and ignore the negative.

There's good in everything. I would love if there were goggles that we could wear that would amplify the good things in people, ideas, attitudes, etc. That for a brief period of time we could block out all the negative stuff our culture can amplify. They could look inward as well, since we're often the most critical of ourselves.