No one ever erected a statue to a critic. That is something to ponder I believe. Statues and monuments have been erected to those they criticize, but no one remembers the critic–the pathetic soul who can only tear down.

Which brings me to something I have observed over the years and in my life experiences. There are basically three types of people, for our purposes: Those who enhance, those who dominate, and those who nullify.

I know each of us probably strives to be the person who enhances the lives of others, who adds value to those we meet in life, and who endeavors to lift people up–whether they be our children, our colleagues at work, or people we meet randomly as we live. When we enhance, we are happy, but so are the people we enhance.

The second group is comprised of those who would dominate your thoughts, your actions, your emotions, your livelihood, your speech– basically who you are. When in the presence of those who would dominate, we do not feel free. We feel squashed, held down, even overwhelmed. Our only solutions seem to be to succumb, fight, or flee. If you have ever been around a college professor who dominates how you think, or what you believe, and who holds the threat of a bad grade over you if you disagree, you know what I am talking about.

The totalitarian belongs in this class. They have to dominate and control.

The third, though, is the most destructive of all, for they make nothing out of every good thing you do, say, or demonstrate. They are the miserable souls whose goal is to nullify all success, all progress, all upward movement etc. They are happy only when you have not only been dominated, but you have been stopped, and any progress you made has been wiped out.

If a president and his team brings about the lowest unemployment in history, the nullifier either denies that fact, or says it doesn’t mean anything.

If you form a team and raise money for a neighborhood cause, the nullifier says you were taking money for yourself, and the cause wasn’t worthwhile in the first place.

If you ever took one of your drawings as a child to a friend for them to see your art work, and they belittled it, and ridiculed it, they were a nullifier at that moment.

If a group of private citizens starts to clean up the streets of a city in distress due to the homeless population, cleaning up the debris and dangerous waste, the nullifier criticizes them.

If you expressed a dream you believed in and wanted to achieve, and your friend scoffed and said, “You’ll never have that,” Or “You’re not good enough for that,” they were nullifying you and your dreams.

If the President bans travel from China to protect us from the Wuhan Virus, he is called a xenophobe. The desire to protect is nullified by the criticism.

If you attempt to call the Wuhan virus the Wuhan virus, after its point of origin, the one who dominates will insist you call it the Corona Virus. Your good intention is nullified by the name calling.

No one responds well to the nullifier. No one feels good, uplifted, inspired, or bigger in the presence of a nullifier. So, remember, no one ever erected a statue to the critic (nullifier). The Media in the United States has degraded now in my opinion to pure nullification. They will make nothing out of anything positive–and try to obliterate it. Negative sells. They get rich by belittling accomplishment, and creating fear and chaos.

However, someone may erect a statue to you one day, but only if you become an enhancer of lives in such quantity and significance that who you are deserves memorialization. I believe someone reading this Blog is that person. Someone reading this Blog will build great things, and serve many.

I encourage you to look around for examples of these three kinds of people in your own life, and in the news. You’ll feel better.