Ever Been Admonished

I recently heard the word “admonish” used in a presentation that caught my attention.

Have you ever been admonished? Have you ever admonished anyone? I must admit that when I think of admonishing someone, it sounds uncomfortable to me. One person told me it makes them think of a tongue lashing … or as a friend put it, “a verbal scouring pad.” But then when you look up the meaning of ADMONISH, this is how it is defined:

• To indicate duties or obligations to
• To express warning or disapproval in an especially gentle and earnest manner
• To give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to
• To caution, advise, or counsel against something
• To reprove or scold, especially in a mild and good-willed manner
• To urge to a duty; remind
• To reprove mildly
• To reprove gently but earnestly
• To counsel another about something to be avoided
• To remind of something forgotten or disregarded

Considerate and Compassionate

Now none of that seems harsh or rude to me … actually sounds considerate and compassionate. Which makes me think of the tones we hear every day in today’s world of hyper media coverage, paparazzi, television shows, loud advertisements, radio talk shows, political differences and such where we are subjected to and reminded of the many harsh and oftentimes cruel statements that surround us. Maybe we should consider adding a sense of “admonishing” to our efforts to correct, critique, or criticize others “in an especially gentle or earnest manner” to gain back a degree of civility in our everyday lives. After all, we’re all in this historical global economic crisis together. How might we each add politeness and good manners in our everyday lives that lead others to do the same?

Just sayin …

What are your thoughts on ADMONISH?

 How do you think we could move toward a more courteous society during these difficult times?

© Phil Hoffman 2012. All rights reserved