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Telling others their faults

From the August 1992 issue of The Christian Science Journal


It happens all the time. One politician heaps blame on another. A husband complains about his wife. Church members criticize each other. Parents scold their children. Sometimes critical comments may be beneficial. But a lot of fault-telling ends up making matters even worse. The usefulness of judging another often depends on how it's done.

Two examples come to mind. Each was my attempt to help an individual see a fault. In one instance the reaction practically blasted me off my feet! In the other, I received a humbled and positive response.

In the first case it was 4 a.m. The neighbor's party was interfering with my efforts to get a little sleep. I knocked on her door and tried, with what I thought was a measure of patience and even niceness, to explain that it was time to quiet down. But I doubt there was much genuine love for my neighbor backing up my request. Her reaction was almost violent.

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