It is a painful truth, one that causes to examine your motivations and your commitment to the work:

The more you engage in works of compassion or the struggle for justice, the more you will receive criticism. Sometimes painfully unfair criticism.

It makes sense. The more noble your commitments and values, the farther you’ll fall short in comparison. The lower your aspirations, the less others expect from you.

The more you commit yourself to works of mercy, the more likely you will receive more anguished criticism than the person who is entirely inhospitable. The people who have been the most angry with me in my life were guests at the Mennonite Worker who felt like we weren’t doing enough for them.