New Cities/New Soviets

June 04, 2004

criticism, self- & other-

So, like I said, we are much too hard on ourselves. It's easy to be cruel to oneself, and doesn't really do any good. This whole "drill-sergent" attitude -- "work through the pain," etc -- is utterly bogus. No one ever did anything that way. There is always another part of the brain, the grunt mentality, that is the productive counterpart. It says: "small jobs. One foot in front of the other." This is a useful method. It is also a concentration camp mentality. Even when the future is impossible, it can still be measured one step at a time.

So you ask yourself: "isn't this proof that the drill sergent voice works? gets results?"

This would only be true if the grunt voice cannot exist without it, and I'm here to pop that little bubble. There is no arguing with necessity, and therefore no need to shout, all puffed-up boors aside. Just watch what happens when you say "no" to a drill-sergent -- they fall apart. Be careful they are not in a position to kill you, though, because they will try. And this goes for the inner drill-sergent, too.

So what about other-criticism? We are too hard on ourselves, and it makes it almost unbearable to take criticism from others. "Comradely affection is often shown better with slaps than pats," says pinky. And this is true. We can take a lot of slaps from other people, and use them productively, but only if we rise to meet them. It's tempting to try to slap yourself harder than anyone else can, and before, as well, but this doesn't really help. And as for trying to fill in your self-wounds with praise from others -- difficult, very very difficult.

I don't know, this stuff is too simple, and I can't say it simply enough. I'll be trying again...

Posted by Sam at June 4, 2004 05:56 PM

amen Sammo

take it from a world class
pre-emtive self critic.....


sure
the inner driller
can be a figurative killer

and yet....

the other still
is the guy
with
the real
presto gear

we need
each
other
for
any super charged
uplift
or
settle down


and
komrades
we need
each other
come
hell
or
high water

Posted by: pinky at June 5, 2004 08:19 PM

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