“Be The Bearer of Praise” – Commentary on Balthasar Gracian

His Art of Worldly Wisdom is an enduring classic and with this advice we know why. There is something princely and regal about this advice that follows, italicised.

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Be the bearer of praise and this will be something like how it is:

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This increases our credit for good taste, since it shows that we have learnt elsewhere to know what is excellent, and hence how to prize it in the present company. It gives material for conversation and for imitation, and encourages praiseworthy exertions. We do homage besides in a very delicate way to the excellences before us. Others do the opposite; they accompany their talk with a sneer, and fancy they flatter those present by belittling the absent. This may serve them with superficial people, who do not notice how cunning it is to speak ill of every one to every one else.

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Praise is untouchable. Nothing can come close to it for genuine strength of impression. It’s inspirational and motivational and all from the purest of motives. Praise is based in truth as flattery is based in lies. It fervently wants the best for others and self.

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It’s all about the heart. When talk is accompanied with a sneer as is so common, debauchery and gossip are not far away. People absent are sold out to convenience as the present are given a ‘boost’ whether they deserve it or not. Praise however finds the truth to say and flies higher with the divine.

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Praise puts on display its good learning; it is applied wisdom and the praxis of living well and above the norm. It’s easily emulated and duplicated; it’s magical and it ‘sticks’ to those around it. It’s a shining example of how to truly approach life. Those who choose praise prove by doing so they actually know God. It’s that simple.

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Many pursue the plan of valuing more highly the mediocrities of the day than the most distinguished exploits of the past. Let the cautious penetrate through these subtleties, and let him not be dismayed by the exaggerations of the one or made over-confident by the flatteries of the other; knowing that both act in the same way by different methods, adapting their talk to the company they are in.

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Why do so many fly so low? It seems a default choice that takes us to the commonplace destination called ‘nowhere’ -- the place of the swamp; there’s no life there. There’s no goal or purpose to life but to suck out the very sap from the tree, spewing it haphazardly all over the place, without thought or regret, even awareness. It’s appalling and contemptible. Better it is to research the best of the past, re-inventing it.

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The ‘cautious’ person looks for the duplicity in all of this, not that they wish to look down on people... they simply want to be dealt with on real terms without all the smoke and mirrors. They’ll not take seriously wanton flattery; in fact, they’ll deplore it without showing it. The best praiser forgives these smooth transgressions instantly, amazingly, finding a prayer for the weak individual who’s engaged in such obsequiousness.

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Perhaps most basely the thing that separates those who incessantly praise from those who incessantly sneer, is hope. Hope is such a powerful key to abundant life. It makes all the difference.

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Copyright © 2008, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.