Hither Thither

As Stonepeace said, "Positive feedback is not always good. Negative feedback is not always bad." While praise lets us know where we are already good, blame more readily lets us know how we can be even better. Even if buried within a thousand praises, it is the rare but precious negative feedback that really makes us improve. Thus, more worrying than getting negative feedback is getting none of it! I always pay more attention to brickbats than bouquets. Because they humble me, keep me from complacence, and make me attentive to alternative views. But at the end of the day, we can't always please everyone. Even the Buddha commented that as long as alive, we are subject to the worldly winds of praise, blame (and indifference). What matters is whether we relate to them skilfully, with a balanced equanimous mind. Do they blow us hither and thither? There's no need to sway with the world - we should be steadfast - not so much to be stubborn or unreceptive, but so that we can mindfully and objectively hear the messages blowing in the wind, and discern what's worth learning.