By Saptarshi Nag
In many countries, students are taught to learn the appreciation of art. In many nations, they are taught to learn the art of appreciation. While the first is good enough, the beauty of the second approach is its all-inclusive nature. Unless we learn the art of appreciation, how can we ever learn to appreciate any piece of work- be it science or art or anything?
In today’s fast-changing world, it seems that people are gradually forgetting this wonderful gesture of appreciation. Today endorsement has become a more powerful tool than appreciation as it manifests one’s allegiance to any organization, ideology, or person. It has rather more proximity to adherence or inclination than appreciation. And as the world polarizes into starkly contrasting ideas, the power of adherence to any specific ideology is getting stronger. And in the whole process, we are losing our ability to appreciate.
Appreciating something or someone can be mutually beneficial for both parties. Suppose, your child has drawn a picture. He is over enthusiast to seek your attention and the more you pay attention to what he has done, the more you appreciate his little piece of beauty, the more motivation he will get in the future to do something even better. Appreciating his work does never mean that you are not leaving any space for improvement. Let him rather have the feeling of being appreciated by his parent for the thing he has accomplished. Let him absorb that excitement, let him enjoy the reward. And gradually once he has embraced your approval, it’s time to suggest to him some ways to do even better the next time he draws a picture. That will work like a magic.
Even in the workplace, you may try the same. Your junior has come up with one new idea. Mostly, we negate him or take that idea only to present it later to the superior in our own new package. Now, getting the idea and presenting it in a modified way is not a sin. But depriving the junior of his due appreciation is truly a crime. That blocks his mental frame. His idea may be wrong. Maybe that will not do anything good to your organization. But the very act of coming up with an idea indicates that he is into the organization. He is thinking about it. He is trying to be a part of the positive change. And that very zeal must be appreciated. This will gradually open the new windows of possibility and make him strive even harder to improve his thought process for the benefit of the organization. Great ideas are mostly conceived in the early morning or late nights. So, do not rebuke him even if his message has buzzed your mobile in the late hours. Just go through what he has to say and send a smiley of appreciation. Later on, you may discuss the shortcomings of his ideas in a positive tone so that he has the doors open for improvisation and improvement.
Your wife is wearing a new dress. The first thing she is craving is your attention. Nothing else matters. But you are busy with your cellphone. And you just give her a cursory glance and a half-baked smile and make her feel that she is looking okay, nothing special. This creates the first rift in the conjugal relation. Strangely, you are getting this opportunity every day. But every opportunity is being squandered as you are too reluctant to appreciate. It does not take a penny to appreciate. It does not need you to go and run ten miles in the scorching heat. It just needs an honest intention, a few seconds, and a few sweet words. And those can have magical reactions upon your conjugal relation.
I have cited three cases of the art of appreciation. But life is actually full of opportunities to appreciate. Every moment, you are having the chance to appreciate others, appreciate something, appreciate yourself. But every moment, we are closing the door of embracing such opportunities by negating, by reacting, by taking a stance, by opining, by denying. Just spend one day of appreciation. One day, when you will appreciate everything around you come whatever may. You will appreciate the beautiful morning, you will appreciate the chirpings of birds, you will appreciate the clouds, you will appreciate the handwriting of your daughter, you will appreciate the hair of your spouse, you will appreciate the note submitted by your junior, you will appreciate the way Djokovic played (even if you are a Nadal fan), you will appreciate the peace around you. And then see, how it changes your day. Do it for just one day. If you get good results, repeat it the very next day. And soon the world will start reciprocating your way of leading life.
