In my daily Bible reading, I came across scripture in the awesome "The Message" Bible by Eugene Peterson that spoke plainly to negative people about their regularly unkind speech. I like "The Message" because it breaks scripture down into the simplest terms for readers. It's written in contemporary language, and it reads sometimes like an essay, editorial or novel without being irreverent.
The seventh chapter of Matthew begins like this: "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults--unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own." And that's just the beginning. This is a word for believers and nonbelievers alike. To be critical in speech is not the same as being critical as a thinker. Critical thinking involves digging into the details, analyzing all angles, using logic. This mindset is essential for making informed decisions and being precise in exploration and results. Critical speech is entirely different.
People who speak critically as opposed to thinking critically are negative in their speech. They don't find things wrong in an effort to discover what is right, they find things wrong most of the time because they are whiners, gossips and hypocrites. They are people who refuse to see the right side of an issue or to look for the positives in a challenging situation. They seem to exist only to tear others down. They are rarely satisfied, and for those of us who really do think critically, we can hear their insecurities. You know them. You've been exhausted by their constant sniping and putdowns. Perhaps you've been the target of their sarcasm and accusations. Perhaps you are them.
Here's how you shut it down if you're inconvenienced by other people's habitually negative comments. 1) Draw the line. Say: "Hey, can we look at the better side of this issue or person? I think you've covered all the bad stuff." Don't participate. Feeding into the conversation is like throwing a match in the forest during a drought. 2) For every negative they say, you present a positive. Say: "I didn't see it that way. I thought she was great in her performance." Every time you counter their negative comment, you show them how shallow they sound, and that you're not going to be a part of it. 3) Leave. Walk away. The energy around people like that is like wearing a yoke around your neck. It is enslaving and weighty.
Make the positive difference. The world is not suffering from too few critics. It is managing to survive in spite of them.
The seventh chapter of Matthew begins like this: "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults--unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own." And that's just the beginning. This is a word for believers and nonbelievers alike. To be critical in speech is not the same as being critical as a thinker. Critical thinking involves digging into the details, analyzing all angles, using logic. This mindset is essential for making informed decisions and being precise in exploration and results. Critical speech is entirely different.
People who speak critically as opposed to thinking critically are negative in their speech. They don't find things wrong in an effort to discover what is right, they find things wrong most of the time because they are whiners, gossips and hypocrites. They are people who refuse to see the right side of an issue or to look for the positives in a challenging situation. They seem to exist only to tear others down. They are rarely satisfied, and for those of us who really do think critically, we can hear their insecurities. You know them. You've been exhausted by their constant sniping and putdowns. Perhaps you've been the target of their sarcasm and accusations. Perhaps you are them.
Here's how you shut it down if you're inconvenienced by other people's habitually negative comments. 1) Draw the line. Say: "Hey, can we look at the better side of this issue or person? I think you've covered all the bad stuff." Don't participate. Feeding into the conversation is like throwing a match in the forest during a drought. 2) For every negative they say, you present a positive. Say: "I didn't see it that way. I thought she was great in her performance." Every time you counter their negative comment, you show them how shallow they sound, and that you're not going to be a part of it. 3) Leave. Walk away. The energy around people like that is like wearing a yoke around your neck. It is enslaving and weighty.
Make the positive difference. The world is not suffering from too few critics. It is managing to survive in spite of them.
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