Are you ready to find the sweet-spot between criticism and compassion?

Here's the deal! I came across a quote that really got me thinking. It's from Robert Sirico , who said, "???? ???????? ???? ???????????????? ???????? ??????????, ?????? ???????????? ???????? ????????????."

My takeaway is that that we should totally go hard on ideas, think critically and give them the tough love they need to make them the best they can be.

I've disciplined my thinking over the years (with the help of therapy, buddhist meditation, etc), so that I spend more time questioning my perceptions of things (curiosity), instead of internalizing them and exhausting myself for life defending them. A pause while I step down from the soap box ??

But when it comes to people, we need to be gentle, kind, compassionate and understanding. After all, people are complex creatures and their ideas aren't necessarily a reflection of who they are as individuals.

They likely have suffering they're unaware of, cultural influences, their education, so many things influence their worldview. Its fairer to say, they're acting from a framework of conditioned beliefs more so than from who they are.

I don't image I'm the only one who grew up being fed "??????-????????-????????????" like it was a food group. Heck, I learned that not being myself was the way to gain approval and inclusion.

Healing has involved unraveling all the messages pounded into my impressionable mind for so long, they became reality as I knew it.

So, what this really boils down to is treating ideas like they're a rebellious teenager: impulsive, indulgent, who needs to be pushed to the limits of scrutiny to reach their full potential.

While treating people humanely, with compassion, steadfastness and patience. It's all about finding that balance between being critical and being compassionate, and recognizing that there's a time and place for both. I think I've gotten pretty skilled at that.

So, take a moment to think about how you approach ideas and people in your own life. Are you being ruthless with your ideas, but gentle with people?

Or are you maybe being too hard on yourself or others? It's all about finding that sweet spot, so let's all strive to be a little more introspective and empathic in our interactions.