May 27, 2015, 3:15 p.m. -  Pete Roggeman

#!markdown “The proper function of the critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it.” ― D.H. Lawrence One thing I've learned over time (slowly) is that enduring feedback or criticism that is hard to hear can send you in one of two ways: 1\. You throw up walls, get defensive, and figure out ways to discredit your critic's point of view. 2\. You digest it and try to learn from it. Realize that some critics are your best allies. Critics keep us honest, make it harder to become complacent, and force us to be better at whatever it is that we do. All that passion and emotional attachment is a huge asset to our community, but it also contributes to the vociferous disagreements we see on a constant basis. Learning how to agree to disagree, and then settle on solutions that benefit the whole community is something we're going to have to get comfortable with, because there are too many strong opinions involved to ever expect easy consensus -- ooh wait, do i get to use 'consensi' or is that a made up word? (damn, it's made up) Everyone, always, can stand to be a better listener.