Praise

I’ll never forget the rather amusing altercation between two of the monks at the monastery one day involving buckets of water!  Giving and receiving praise and criticism can play havoc with our emotions if it goes unchecked.  Both Brother Matthew and Brother Simon (names changed for anonymity) had been engaged in an ego-game of criticising each other over an extended period of time.  Looking back I can’t even remember what the issue was – it was that insignificant and petty.  However, as sometimes happens to most of us in these situations, the constant niggling and snide remarks can build up…