Fellow Optimists, here is a question for you’re consideration.
What corrupts both the receiver and the giver?
Flattery.
“Make certain that your praise is always genuine, never empty or false. Research shows that more damage is done through false praise than through criticism. If you believe it, say it. If you don’t, show your respect for others’ intelligence and discernment, and don’t yield to the temptation of false flattery.” Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath
Do you struggle with insincere praise?
Matthew 5:33-37 (The Message) 33-37 “And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
Tim Holman, Writer 