Criticism and Appreciation

 Does losing attention from people loosen my grip on talent too?

Growing up with the title of a multi-talented kid I was used to constant applause from people around me. The naive child in me thought that the same attention would continue all my life, but the castle of illusion turned into debris in grade 11 when I found myself around talents from all over Nepal and the recognition that was habitual to me was distributed among others. This transitional phase in my teenage molded me, after much effort, with a virtue of praising talents around me and constructively questioning my own caliber.

         One of the few examples of learning has been in my senior year of high school. Once a casual debate on ‘Women’s Rights and Women’s Duties’ was going on in English class. I emphasized ‘Women’s right to parental property’ and how they should in default get the equal share. My classmate protested and said that if a daughter wants an equal share of her parent's property, she has to share the equal responsibility as her brother towards the parents. The point made by her made me rethink my perception. I’ve realized that the best way to criticize myself is to genuinely listen to people who are on the opposite end of my beliefs. Having said that I do not claim that I have reached the level of wisdom where I can take all the criticism without feeling bad. One ought to practice for years to truly have a thick skin.

         Art of appreciation wasn’t easy to inculcate in daily life, especially in the scenario of the cutthroat competition. The loophole in the way we appreciate is that we tend to degrade ourselves while praising others. The question is, "Should I be bad for someone else to be good(and vice versa)? Understanding that the flower blooms without comparing itself to flowers next to it, I try every day to acknowledge the deep thinkers and innovators around me whose thoughts course through my veins as inspiration. That is what I visualize my years ahead to be, to clap hard for others and learn from them without having an inferiority complex.

         I began self-interrogating when the constant attention was snatched(that’s what I thought then) away from me: “Is it possible to be on highlight every moment? Does losing attention from people loosen my grip on talent too?” I know the answer to these very well. So, for a balanced life, I take a seat back to admiringly scrutinize someone else’s journey, and I value the opinions of those who have no reason to please me. Time will come for me to be on the main stage for applause, but I know that will be temporary too. That is life in a nutshell for me.