What's interesting is what we critique ourselves about. Sometimes we critique ourselves about our hairstyle or hair color, our choice of clothing for an event, the state of our nails, the state of our house, how well or how poorly things went at the office. Or, we critique ourselves on how well our children looked for school or for an event, how well they looked or behaved at school, or at an event.
Or we spend time and energy critiquing ourselves over how well we measure up to others, or we ask ourselves over and over why someone doesn't like or appreciate us.
How important are all these concerns that we critique ourselves about? What we could be doing instead of critiquing ourselves over every little thing is to rate the importance of all our concerns with one fool-proof rating system:
"How important is this in the light of eternity?"
In other words, how important is this really? Will this affect my soul's spiritual progress? Should it be affecting my life or my self-esteem so much? We can weep hot tears over someone else's estimate of our fashion sense or our likeability or our children's behavior or lack of it. What's really important is our own self-critique - and God's. God loves us totally! And some things shouldn't even be considered important enough to be on our radar at all!
There are other things that we should be confronting ourselves about, and we aren't even thinking about them. These are the things that ARE important in the light of eternity.
How well are we caring for and nurturing the important relationships in our lives? These are the people God has given to us specifically and we should be praying hard about them every day, asking God for wisdom, self-control, abiding love. And if THEY don't appreciate us, we remind ourselves that God is the Only One Who gets to critique us.
How well are we caring about our health? Our weight? Our eating bad habits? Our alcohol and cigarette consumption? Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, worthy of our care and respect.
How well are we caring about the health of our neighbors? Are we recycling gently used clothing, old eyeglasses? Donating food, diapers, Depends?
How well are we caring about the life and health of our planet? Pope Francis just released his latest teaching (called an "encyclical") entitled "Laudato Si" (May You be Praised) in which he calls upon all of us to confront the terrible damage happening right now to our "common home," the earth, through pollution and climate change, a high level of environmental destruction that is affecting the poor countries the most. He says that all of us are not confronting ourselves about this danger, this sinfulness, enough. Among individuals and nations there is "a complacency and a cheerful recklessness."
The big issue, he says is "What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?" We are all called to an "ecological conversion," a change of heart. We have forgotten that " we ourselves are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air, and we receive life and refreshment from her waters."
He suggests that we need to dialogue about difficult environmental issues, come up with practical solutions, and work individually and together, people of all religions and non-believers as well, nationally and internationally, "to help us to escape the spiral of self-destruction which currently engulfs us." For us as individuals, the point is to arrive at a "new lifestyle." And to educate and train others in schools, churches, families, and in the media.
Part of this new lifestyle should include "bringing healthy pressure to bear on those who wield political, economic, and social power." This is what happens when consumer choices are able to "change the way businesses operate, forcing them to consider their environmental footprint and their patterns of production."
So what if we start confronting ourselves on choices that universally matter? On wise use of our water? Wise sorting of waste? Something as simple as turning off unneeded lights? Groups to join to tackle a specific, heart-felt issue? These are truly important issues to confront and critique ourselves about. But - always we should be optimistic: "All is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start."
You can read the encyclical at:
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco 20150524 enciclica-laudato-si.html