“To avoid criticism say nothing, do
nothing, be nothing.” – Aristotle
As a
musician, criticism is something I am bound to face, although it is something I
still have not mastered accepting. You are constantly being criticized for the
purpose of becoming a better musician. The criticism may be for the best, but
it still hurt me every time. My tempo could be rushed, my sound shaky, no
expression of dynamics, or playing the wring notes. These things were little in
the big picture, but in my mind these issues were perceived as great
imperfections. Although it was often hard, I just had to think of my mom’s
reminder of the essence of what Aristotle said: that the criticism is meant to
be constructive, that I should learn from it and not to be discouraged.
We all know
that criticism is a good thing. However more times than not, at least for me,
we try to avoid criticism at all cost. Deep down we know that better things can
come from criticism, but in those moments we also want to appear strong and
perfect. Self-consciousness is one thing that I have always struggled with in
life, and maybe you have as well. Feeling that you need to live up to a certain
image and that if someone gives you criticism you will be seen as less than you
should. It is often form criticisms that insecurities develop.
In part, that is why I chose this particular quote.
We are all being criticized (by our test grades, paper comments, performances,
interactions, etc.); the only thing different between individuals is how we
take the criticism. You can choose to take it and change, take it and ignore,
disregard anything was ever said, be hurt by it and change, be hurt by it and
not change, and be hurt and be incredibly self-conscious about how that person
views you. Obviously multiple of these solutions could result in the best
decision for you, but my encouragement this week is to consider the outcome
before you react. As a last note I will say that we all want to be someone
(college isn’t for nothing) so we need to embrace the criticisms, great and
small, head on. Speak up. React. Be something.
-Margaret Gruhler
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