Criticism is a large and vague topic. In a basic sense, it is the pointing and finding of errors made. The General conception used is “The expression of disapproval of someone or something on the basis of perceived faults or mistakes”.
We understand that critics can be the general public, scholars of a subject, or formal investigators. Deriving from the above statement we can also determine that the critics can gain their experience from the hours of research done, but they can also criticize solely based on guesses or on standpoint.
Many great individuals such as APJ Abdul Kalam, Thomas Alva Edison, etc., had faced high amounts of pressure from criticism of the public during their path to greatness. Though criticism is not bad, as ‘honest’ and ‘information-based’ criticism can help shape what we are trying to do but criticism based solely on guesses is not only useless but can change our opinion itself on the matter. It can also impact our confidence deeply.
One way to deal with criticism is to ignore it altogether. Even though it is easier to ignore the critics and go forward, at certain times it is difficult or impossible to do it all together. To give an example, more times than not we need support or funding from the general public. In a government where these types of cases happen, they convince the need for the project to sway the critics to their side by campaigning. This is usually done during elections to win people’s support.
One other example of handling criticism is the success story of VR Lalithambika. Before she joined ISRO, the morale of the scientists as well as the view of the general public had diminished because of the failed launch of ASLV [Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle] and its failed relaunch 3 months later. This did not deter her as she did both her PhD and helped in the PSLV’s successful launch in 1994. After this, she reassured the public again with 39 successful launches.
One other example can be found in the War of the Falkland. During this war, the ‘national reorganization process’ in Argentina funded by the USA against communism, gave rise to a dictatorial line leading to’ Leopoldo Galtiery’ [1981]. He was in a time of economic crisis and had multiple critics causing riots. To stabilize the country he waged a war on the British on the basis of taking back Las Malvinas {Falklands in Spanish}. This allowed him to distract the public from a gracious war. Due to the initial success, he was able to get fame and hold off the riots. This concept can still be used to sway the public to the side of the government but has high risks to it. In the end, he lost the war and so also lost the support of the people.
Dealing with criticism is a basic part of our life. It could be for a school project or working for a government. To be swayed by it can be disastrous as it can change our view on what we want to do. Sometimes we ignore the critics if not useful, but other times we either try to sway the critics to our side or we distract them from other topics to get a strong hold on our work. It is solely based on the situation, but either method can help.