Discussions

"Refereeing" Hopefully the word is spelled correctly, two siblings of mine; I noticed a very good, somewhat volatile issue that at times we people seem completely oblivious too. Nevertheless, I feel it warrants attention and a bit of a thrashing.  
It seems that NOBODY likes to be corrected. Instead of accepting it, some people get angry, get hurt, or they get even. The question posed is, why is correction so difficult to take and even more so, why is it so important to us?  
We humans can be quite sensitive when corrected. We often attach motives that may or may not even be there. It is ironic to note that how we deal with correction can make the difference between success and failure, both professionally and socially in our lives.  
We all have to admit that correction is hard to take, albeit hard to give! Friendships and working relationships have been destroyed by the lack of tact and wisdom when either giving or receiving needed pointers. Although, we have no control over how correction is given, we can choose how to take it!  
When somebody tells us that something is wrong about us, we take it as a personal affront, and it cuts us to the core. We become embarrassed and we usually react emotionally. Maybe we show it and maybe we harbor it and nurture it for awhile to let it manifest itself later on. Come to think on it, we wallow in self-pity and hurt feelings, therefore shrinking from any kind of positive action in dealing with it.  
Our pride tells us that we are being accused of something that is not true. Maybe we really are not wrong; maybe we are just being misunderstood.  
However, what is the result of this thinking? We do not change anything. We may convince ourselves that we have been misunderstood and go on our way without the needed correction (the Titanic comes to mind here!)  
Sometimes when we feel hurt, we assign motives to the person correcting us. Maybe he does not like us, or maybe she is jealous of me and trying to make me look bad! Resentment, distrust and anger grow, and we start to look for ways to protect our own self-interests.  
We go on the offensive. We tell others how we have been wronged and victimized and we look for ways to get EVEN at our accuser. We take on the role of martyrs. Little knowing how we are affecting the morale of those around us. We cause others to become suspicious and insecure.  
So what should we do when we find ourselves being corrected? We have to admit that nobody knows everything and we may not be great at 99% of everything we do. Do we have enough character to want to change and perhaps improve? Most of us already know that when we have an attitude or an approach that is not working and we can usually sense that things just are not going right. Wouldn't it be better if we were to recognize the issues and make the necessary changes ourselves than to have somebody come up and hit us on the head with the obvious?  
In short, how do we react with being corrected? What is the process and the outcome of being shown up? Is it a good or a bad thing? In addition, do we really need it?