Chapter 24 Take criticism as a compliment

In 1929, a major event happened in the United States that shocked the educational circles across the country.There was a young man named Robert Hawkins who graduated from Yale University by working and studying. After just 8 years, he was appointed as the president of the University of Chicago, the fourth richest university in the United States. how old is he? 30 years old!It's unbelievable.The older generation of educators strongly opposed him, and people's criticism of him hit this "child prodigy" like a landslide. On the day Robert Hawkins took office, a friend said to his father: "I saw a newspaper editorial attacking your son this morning and it terrified me."

"That's right," replied Hawkins' father. "It hits hard. But remember, no one ever kicks a dead dog." It is true that the more valuable the dog, the more gratifying the person who kicks it will be.The Prince of Windsor (also known as the Duke of Windsor), who later became King Edward VIII of England, also had his ass kicked.At the time, he was studying at Dartmouth College in Devonshire.Prince Windsor was only 14 years old when a naval officer caught him crying one day and asked him what was wrong.He won't tell at first, but finally tells the truth: he got his ass kicked by students at the Academy.The commander called all the students together, and he wanted to figure out why these people treated Prince Windsor like this.

After a long time of excuses, everyone finally admitted that if they themselves became commanders or captains of the Royal Navy, they would like to be able to tell others that they kicked the king's ass. So, if you get kicked or criticized badly by someone, remember that they are doing it because it gives them a sense of importance, which usually means that you have Achieve something and be noticed by others.There are many people who derive a certain satisfaction in cursing those who are more educated than they are, or who are in every way far better than they are.For example, as I was writing this section, I got a letter from a woman berating General William Butch, who founded the Salvation Army.

This woman wrote to me that General Butz embezzled an donation of $8 million that she had raised for the relief of the poor.As ridiculous as this accusation was, this woman didn't want to find out the truth of the matter, she just wanted to beat someone nobler than her to satisfy herself.I couldn't tell what kind of person General Booth was from her letter, but I had a very clear understanding of her.Schopenhauer said many years ago: "Vulgar people can take great pleasure in the mistakes and follies of great men." Few people would think that the president of Yale University is a vulgar person, but there is indeed a gentleman who served as the president of Yale University, Timothy Dowt, who obviously took pleasure in daring to reprimand a US presidential candidate.

The Yale president warned: "If this man is elected president, we will see our wives and daughters become victims of legal prostitution. We will be greatly humiliated, we will be seriously injured, and our self-esteem and morals will be destroyed. Disappeared, and the wrath of man and god." Sounds like these words are scolding Hitler, don't they?But no, these words are scolding Thomas Jefferson!Which Thomas Jefferson?Probably not the great Thomas Jefferson?Is it the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence, representing a democracy?Not bad at all, it was this person who scolded.

Have you ever thought of an American who was once called a "hypocrite", "a big liar", "just a little better than a murderer" by others?But there was a newspaper cartoon that showed him standing on a guillotine with a machete about to cut off his head, and a crowd of people yelling and cursing around him as he rode down the street.Who is he?This man was none other than George Washington, the founding father of the United States. This was all a long, long time ago, and perhaps our humanity has improved since then.Let us take Admiral Perry, the explorer who shocked the world, as an example.

He reached the North Pole by sled on April 6, 1909—a goal that has starved, frozen, and even killed countless brave men over the centuries.Admiral Perry also almost died of hunger and cold, and his eight toes had to be amputated because of freezing injuries, and the various disasters he encountered on the road made him fear that he would go crazy.But senior Navy officials in Washington envied Perry because of his popularity and importance.So they falsely accused him of accumulating money under the guise of scientific expeditions and then "going around to the North Pole to have fun."And they might actually believe it, because it's nearly impossible for people not to believe what they want to believe.Their determination to humiliate and thwart Perry was so great that it had to be ordered directly by President McKinley to allow Admiral Perry to continue his research work in the Arctic.

Would Admiral Perry have been criticized if he had been sitting at a desk at Naval Headquarters in Washington?No, because then he wouldn't become so important as to attract the envy of others. General Grant's experience was worse than Admiral Perry's.In 1862, General Grant won the first decisive Union victory, which made him an instant national icon and reverberated even as far away as Europe.From Maine to the banks of the Mississippi River, bells were ringing and fires were being lit to celebrate the victory.But six weeks after this great victory, he was arrested and stripped of his military command, leaving him weeping in humiliation and disappointment.

Why was General Grant arrested on the summit of victory?Most of the reason is that he aroused the jealousy and envy of those arrogant superiors. So, if we worry about being unfairly criticized, remember rule number one: Unjust criticism is usually a disguised compliment.Remember, no one ever kicks a dead dog.