Encouragement is a gift

Been having some fun today with these personality quiz things everyone shares on Facebook. They are quite fascinating - I think they are accurate, although I could be cynical and say that we all give the kind of answer we think will give the best result. That may not be true, though, because the people I know get categorised just as they should be, so maybe mine are also right. I would like to think so, as they are generally what I am aiming for in life.

Why do you think these quizzes are so popular?
1. Instant result.
2. Never a bad answer.
3. We all really want to know how the world views us and nobody is willing to ask in case they get a response they didn't want.
4. There are too few people who give compliments freely.

There is fortunately a growing trend among young people who do tell their friends when they are being kind or thoughtful, looking particularly ravishing in an outfit or generally making a contribution to the advancement of happiness in the world. Strict Victorian upbringing is almost a thing of the past, a culture that caused untold mental harm to generations who were on the receiving end of the idea that suppressing warmth and spontaneity was beneficial for children, and resulted in stunted emotional growth.

There are those who believe that to hand out praise is to encourage boastfulness, over-confidence and blowing your own trumpet. But how can a flower bloom without sunshine, food and water? We are all flowers waiting to bloom; nobody is without a bud that a little nurturing will bring to fruition. I don't know anyone who has suffered from a compliment, no matter how effusive or subtle, and I do believe that, far from spoiling the receiver, it is the giver that gains the most benefit. For it is in giving in all its forms that we receive the most.