Excellent post and oh so true
Most people are so worried about outward appearances, what others think of them, how they are perceived by the outside world, etc., that they never stop to look inward.
Of courser criticism hurts, learning you're not perfect comes as an absolute shock to most people. Whaddya mean I'm not the shining beacon of perfection and righteousness that you worship and follow every word I say. Huh I never would have guessed that.
We as a society must learn to take criticism better. To accept the fact that perhaps we need to change within. Even if we believe ourselves to be role models others might not see us that way. As I'm fond of saying, perception is reality and no two people have the exact same view of the world or situation at the exact moment in time.
In general I feel that as we have become more disconnected from personal interactions due to our time being faceless warriors behind keyboards and monitors we have also lost the ability to accept criticism. And it gets worse with each following generation.
As we remain isolated from those we criticize it is impossible to see the hurt we cause as we do not see their faces, their expressions, the pain in their eyes, etc.
It is so easy now to hide behind the keyboard and become more and more callous since you do not have to feel the guilt you would if you were interacting physically with those around you.
As such, criticism is becoming more prevalent in society and our ability to handle it, to turn it into something positive or even to self reflect and discard it is diminishing each day.
I weep for the future of humanity as I get older each day. I am at the old man sitting on his porch yelling "Hey you kids, GET OFF MY GRASS" stage of life and have seen a definite slide in humanity over the years.
Criticism and self acceptance is just one aspect that we, as a society, need to work on.
Now I completely agree with the others who have said that political correctness has gone too far and we need to stop trying to make every snowflake out there feel safe and precious at all times. Sorry man, you are living in this life and crap happens. Deal with it
We might not need to change but, it shouldn't be a problem to take a look in the mirror from time to time. Criticism can point to starting points.
I feel the same and this is just the beginning.
Yep. We no longer have the responsibility of facing our opposition or gauging their reaction. it means we aren't good at reading people, nor approaching subjects.
Emotionally stunted.
Part of the problem is exposure to reality and, preparation for it. We protect from childhood, how can we expect them to learn?