Welcome criticism

Criticism, as a rule, is disliked by all and sundry. Some people go to the extreme of abhorring criticism. But that is an unhealthy response, for criticism and dissent are positive elements in the lives of individuals and in society at large.
I happened once to meet an American scholar to whom I put the question: “What is the most important aspect of western culture?” He replied: “Freedom of expression.” Elaborating on this point, he stated that in the west dissent was taken – right, wrong, good or bad – as a sacred right of the individual.
What is criticism? It is a part of intellectual exchange. When you discuss some issue with anyone without any reservation, what you have to say is very likely to take the form of criticism. In any critical process there are two parties. One who criticizes and one who is the object of criticism. The former may expound a divergent viewpoint in a frank and open manner, and this encourages the latter to discover some new aspect of the subject under discussion. So criticism is good for both of those concerned.
The universe of thought is vast. No single person is able to cover all of the arenas of thought or knowledge. Given this situation, criticism affords the opportunity to broaden and enhance your field of knowledge. It is a kind of give and take process.
Let us take the example of a mirror. A mirror is also a critic – in a purely physical sense. If you have a spot on your face, the mirror will instantly draw your attention to it. And you accept this without the slightest reluctance. The same is true of the critic, who is like an intellectual mirror. If he points out some fault in your thinking, then you have to accept it. If you are not in a position to accept it instantly, you have at least to give thought to the point he makes. A negative reaction is not good because it is infructuous, both in the case of the intellectual mirror and in the case of the physical mirror.
Criticism is a process rather than an end. It entails discussion and discussion leads to intellectual development. It is intellectual development that makes a man a superman. Indeed, through the process of criticism we embark on an intellectual journey, trying to find answers to our questions. Criticism, opening the closed doors of a mind, enhances the human thinking capacity. As such, criticism is always good. There is nothing bad in criticism.
Criticism promotes thinking along new and different lines. It is the result of thinking in a fresh and original way and, as such, it is a healthy factor in a society. Someone has rightly said that when all think alike, no one thinks very much.
Critical thinking is constructive thinking. It is a phenomenon of creativity. And creative thinking is the only way to intellectual progress. Creative thinkers are always able to discover new things, but creative thinking cannot be developed without critical thinking. You should, therefore accept criticism with a tranquil mind and you will soon discover that your critic was an intellectual enabler.
The greatest weakness of every man or woman is that he or she lives within the boundaries of his or her own mind. This kind of thinking tends to induce self-conditioning, which is not always of a positive nature. No one, except your critic, can de-condition your mind. That is, he points out those negative aspects of your intellectual make-up that had hitherto been hidden from you. Everyone must, therefore, welcome the critic. The critic is the only one who can help you to rid your personality of undesirable traits. So, be eternally grateful to him.
There is a saying: ‘One who criticizes you is better than one who praises you.’ This saying is very correct and is also very meaningful. One who discovers the value of criticism will surely appreciate criticism and will accept what a critic has to say just as happily as if he were being given a make-over in a health spa.

Authored by: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan