Encouragment and Gratitude
Additional Information on Chapter 2, page 19
The opposite of encouragement and expressions of gratitude is criticism. Criticism destroys. A wise person can benefit from helpful criticism, but few are that wise, and most criticism is decidedly NOT helpful and is instead designed to hurt. I have called criticism "the cheapest form of human emission." It requires neither brain, not conscious effort to criticize. If you are unfortunate enough to marry someone who is habitually critical, it will not only eventually destroy the marriage, it will destroy you as well.
The power of encouragement and gratitude is so great that we begin with a discussion of criticism so we can teach you how to eradicate the habit and replace a critical attitude with one of encouragement and gratitude.
