Theos-Talk Archives (March 1995 Message tl00224)

Paul,

I totally agree with your strategy of allowing yourself to feel
the pain of criticism rather than repress it.  I have been
responding to the postings around this issue because I have not
read your book or much on the Mahatma's at all.  But I felt it
very necessary to make an observation about criticism.

I really am tired of academics trying to play the machismo game
of not being bothered by criticism, or even inviting it, but
inwardly being wounded.  Anyone who shows sensitivity to
criticism is deemed a whimp and shouldn't be playing hard ball.
This is patriarchy at its worst.  I have two Masters degrees, no
great feat for anyone who has learned to conform, and experienced
this in grad seminars.  When I suggested that instead of calling
responses to the papers Criticism it might be better to talk
about enhancement or furtherance I was seen as too soft.  All the
talk about intellectual integrity and scholarly precision looses
its authenticity when "truth", notice the lower case here, is
substituted for Love.

I don't object to real honesty rooted in building a work up but
the callous criticism I have seen even on line here is heart
wrenching - it rips the heart out of good intentions , inhibits
risk taking and adventure in the name of some abtract
"objectivity".  Most of time this sort of criticism is not
objective at all but attempts to play psycho-analyst through
attributing motive to authors without a thorough understanding of
them.  I would love to hear an enhancement of Paul's work by
those who are learned rather than an emotional reaction.

I know that this post is flame bait...  and is likely to be
criticized for being judgemental but my intentions are to remind
us all that fine tuning our criticism would do no one harm and
everyone would benefit from a covenant of enhancement.

Toward Consciousness,

Art