(HOST) A former student has helped commentator Deborah Luskin approach the New Year – with new resolve.
(LUSKIN) The other day, I received an unexpected letter from a student I taught twenty-eight years ago, thanking me for teaching him how to write. Danny is now a Professor of Biology at Tel Aviv University, and he writes, "My success as a scientist has been due as much to my writing ability, whether in grant proposals or in manuscripts, as to any scientific achievements."
It was a delightful letter. I reread it often, especially after I receive less laudatory correspondence, which, I’m sad to say, arrives with greater frequency than letters of praise. I especially pay attention to Danny’s reason for writing. He says, "I learned during my recently ended 4-year term as Department Chair, that people rarely write memos of praise, but often of complaint. So I’m making a point to give positive feed back when I can."
This comment hit a nerve. I confess: I’ve written many letters of complaint, letters proud with self-righteousness, accusation and derision. And I’m not alone. It seems a part of human nature to articulate unhappiness and to take joy for granted. So my first resolution for this new calendar year is to turn this around: instead of complaining, I want to praise; instead of articulating what’s wrong, I want to shout out what’s okay. This doesn’t mean that I’ll turn a blind eye to what needs fixing. I know as well as anyone else that there’s a lot wrong in our world. But there are also a lot of people doing their best to make the world a little bit better – and many of them are right here.
First, I want to praise all the people who serve as elected officials in local government. Goodness knows these public servants receive more than their share of complaints. In fact, coping with complaints seems to be a large part of the job. That, and sitting through interminable meetings. I’m grateful to those who serve on our local school boards, select boards, planning commissions and civic committees. I often disagree with decisions these boards make, but that doesn’t stop me from being indebted to them for serving.
I also want to thank those who serve on the boards of our local non-profits. These are people who willingly give hours of their time to launch and steer the many organizations from which we all benefit, from local charities to international NGOs who maintain headquarters here.
And I’m grateful to all the volunteers who perform modest but necessary tasks, like washing dishes and staffing emergency shelters overnight.
I’m also thankful for the visionaries who have cultivated the arts, which thrive in our region. I thank all those who have stepped up to the plate to make this such a great place to live.
And finally, I thank my students, from whom I learn so much, students like Danny, whose letter reminded me of the power of praise.