Daily Meditation: Thursday, May 28, 2026

Criticizing - after saying negative words, end with something positive

05/28/2026

The spoken word always has repercussions, so when you talk about each other, avoid criticizing unless you are sure of the facts. When you speak ill of someone, you stir up evil, either in that person, in yourself, or in the person who is listening. If it should happen that you are forced to speak negatively about someone who has done something wrong, do not forget to finish your conversation by mentioning one of their good qualities (after all, they must possess at least one!). This is an important educational practice. Pointing out a person’s faults in conversation has never served to correct them. So when you simply criticize people without mentioning some virtues, you are turning bad into worse, and this is not a constructive attitude. If you want to behave like a conscious being, when you have to say something negative, try to end your conversation with something positive—even if only by talking about a second person, who possesses all the qualities lacking in the first.