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Deutsche Version | Wiki Start | Topics Collection iv

How to talk about each other? ...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012. We had some election in one of the German states last weekend. Elections is normal - and from this point of view there is not much to say. But the way different people - politicians, journalists, authors … - talk about each other, is worth to talk about!

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Hard Criticism might be necessary …

When you want to improve something, hard criticism might be necessary. Many of our social structures are not efficient. Or they are not as good as they could be, not as just as needed, not as supporting for a broad range of people as they should be. Things are done because there have been done like this for many years. Or there are rules, but the rules have been made for a much larger entity and do not fully fit. It is like trying to pull tiny nails with a huge gripper. But one needs to criticise such situations.

Criticism will also be linked to people. If someone is leading a party, but he is not doing well the way he presents the party and himself, then we need hard criticism. We need to tell him that it is not good - it is not a big deal to say this. We need to say it.

On the other hand criticism needs to value the individual. Often, when we listen to public criticism, the tone and expression is far away from value. People are happy to put others down. It is common to to disrate, to lower the other. We could learn to talk differently. Even if you need to criticise things strongly, you can be balanced in the way you say it. We need the community, we need all to participate in the solutions!

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Jesus as example ?! …

I am often surprised by the strong criticism which Jesus is expressing in the New Testament. He is not at all the “nice guy”, who is friend with everyone. He is speaking against the religious elite of his time in a way which is pushing the limits! Read his speeches against the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law! They are tough …

So the example which Jesus gives is an example that it is needed to be very clear in the criticism. But we can also learn from him that he is not speaking against any individual as such. He is still giving his life for all these people as well. But he is strongly speaking against a particular type of behaviour.

It is an art, to be honest as well as appreciating others the way we talk. It is a real challenge to talk about others in a way which is helping to improve things, to criticise them in the spirit of God, but at the same time make clear that your heart is fully with the others. Jesus is showing this - and he is giving us a fantastic example and highly encouraging challenge! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts

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