“Letting Squeaky Wheels Squeak”

Constructive vs. Destructive

Constructive criticism is like cough medicine. Not pleasant, but good for us.

If a problem should be addressed or a task could be done better, this info is gold. Even if it comes wrapped in a complaint, the goal is to help us improve.

Destructive feedback is like brushing one’s finger against an electric hedge trimmer while it’s on. (Not fun. I have the scar to prove it.) It hurts badly and doesn’t help the situation.

Some negative people are “squeakaholics.”

One drop of oil on their squeaky wheel is too many, but 1,000 drops are not enough. No matter what we fix now, later they’ll return about something else that’s broken.

My snarky side wonders if, in heaven, such people will fuss that the streets of gold are too shiny.

An Aesop’s Fable

A man and his son walked with their donkey to market. A passerby said, “You fools, what is a donkey for but to ride upon?”

The man put the boy on the donkey. Another passerby said, “That lazy youngster lets his father walk while he rides.”

So the man traded places with the boy. Another passerby said, “Shame on that lazy lout to let his little son trudge along.”

The man pulled up his son and they both rode the donkey. Yet another passerby said, “You should be ashamed for overloading that poor donkey of yours.”

The man and boy climbed down. They cut a pole, tied the donkey’s feet to it, and carried the animal on their shoulders. Everyone they met on the way laughed at them until they reached Market Bridge.

The donkey jerked, causing the boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the donkey fell over the bridge. His fore-feet were tied together, so he drowned.

An old man who’d followed them said, “That will teach you.”

The moral? If you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one.

Do you and I need to let some squeaky wheels squeak while we move forward?

David