In Praise Of…   Recently, I’ve been spending more time among
college professors, that is, in addition to my wife, and their
observations on students have confirmed certain trends among
younger Americans, trends that I, perhaps curmudgeonly, find
disturbing, including a certainly behavior that can only be
described as addictive.  To what am I referring?  The almost
insatiable desire for endless praise.  The craving by students
to be told over and over how wonderful they are.  The desire to
be praised, if only for effort, even when their achievements
merit neither praise nor acknowledgement.  Now… we all desire
praise.  I know I certainly do, but praise  based on inadequate
accomplishment is like junk food  – without much spiritual
nutrition –and that leaves those who receive such empty praise
hungry for more.  Yet our educational system is so concerned
with not hurting young people [and not upsetting their parents]
and motivating them solely through “positive” means that the
message that comes through is that