Criticism

Criticism is a process. A phase and a stage of a learning and feedback process. Criticism is strive for quality, together. The idea of criticism is caring. There is a Leonardo, Stradivari and Paganini because their masters were strict and demanding. The masters wanted their apprentices to be better than themselves. The masters cared about their apprentices.

Today criticism has been a synonym for complaining, sourness, acidity, resistance, bitterness, hatred, hostility, rage, antipathy, cynicism, fault-finding, blaming, jealousy, judging, hostility and ill-will against everything. But, all this is nihilism, to deny the meaning of life, its existence, purpose and value. This happens probably because of growing self-expression and journalistic activity in the corrupted and ever confusing world. Our present superficial world and mindset allow instant and inconsiderate expressions, which create a loop of complaining, sourness, acidity, resistance, bitterness, hatred, hostility, rage, antipathy, cynicism, fault-finding…

Nihilism is not criticism, nor is criticism nihilism.

Criticism is an act of will, enthusiasm and quality. Criticism is participation, commitment and presence. Criticism is caring.

Definition of Criticism

Criticism is the ability “to separate, to decide, to comprehend or to judge“. When somebody has the ability to comprehend and separate she has ability to envision, create, construct and cultivate the substance. To cultivate means to sow. To sow means to grow. To grow means to mow. To mow means to thresh. To thresh means to grind. To grind means to bake. To bake means to mould. To mould means to form.

Criticism as a notion has its etymology. Greek terms krinein (separating out, deciding), krei– (to sieve, discriminate, or distinguish) and krisis (literally, the judgement, the result of a trial, or a selection resulting from a choice or decision), form a base for the word criticism [Wikipedia on criticism].

Criticism is a reasoned dialogue in a context, where intentions, diligence, craftsmanship and intelligence strive for quality.

Criticism is caring. (Juhani Risku and Outi Alapekkala, Trondheim 10.10.2015)