Sir, – I confess I envy Donald Trump’s remarkable ability to interpret events in the most favourable light imaginable (“Trump loudly booed in the Garden as Republicans cry foul on LA vote”, June 10th).
During my years as a school principal, one parent called me a “dickhead” and another described me as “the biggest bastard in the country”. I also recall telling jokes at school assemblies that were greeted by groans rather than laughter.
At the time, I foolishly assumed these reactions reflected criticism. Had I possessed Mr Trump’s gift for interpretation, I would have realised they were actually compliments. The colourful descriptions were surely affectionate terms of endearment, while the groans were merely applause in a more creative form.
There is a lesson here for us all. Life becomes considerably more cheerful when every criticism is recast as a compliment and every setback as a triumph. It may not improve one’s grasp of reality, but it certainly seems to do wonders for one’s self-confidence. – Yours, etc,
RM Block
ENDA CULLEN,
Co Armagh,
