The Oneida community's system of constructive criticism begs several
questions.
Can the society's system of criticism work in or benefit today’s world? Is criticism helpful?
When John Humphrey Noyes
founded the Oneida community in 1848, he
believed that the Second Coming of Christ had already occurred, and therefore,
that perfection would soon be attained by humans and by human society. Thus, he created the system of criticism, in
which the citizens of his society could chose to be critiqued by his or her
neighbors in an effort to understand and strive to correct his or her flaws.
This system’s friendly approach to criticizing others was very successful. The
Oneida people were not hurt by the criticism; they took it as advice and were
determined to become better people. As a result, the community itself escalated both socially and economically. Later, Noyes decided that his system of
criticism should no longer be voluntary; every Oneida citizen was to be
criticized by four appointed judges. Noyes wanted all of his people to make an
effort to inch closer to the perfection of character, for he believed that a
perfect society is one comprised of perfect people.
As Winston Churchill once said, “criticism
may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as
pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” Though
Noyes probably took it too far, many argue that criticism is vital for it motivates one to improve as a person. While too harsh and too much criticism can
shatter one’s self-confidence, it is important to understand what changes one
needs to make in order to be the best person possible. While nobody likes to be
criticized, one must realize, as Churchill implies, that it can facilitate the growth of a person. According to Noyes, this growth is necessary for the growth
of societies as a whole. Thus, upon studying the Oneida community, one discovers the importance of giving, receiving, and embracing criticism.
No comments:
Post a Comment