I am glad you have recognised this pernicious habit and want to get rid of it. This is already half the victory. The overcritical tendency stems from vanity, the false idea of feeling superior to others. Several means have been suggested to get rid of this tendency, such as generosity, wideness, a sincere look at oneself, true discernment, etc. But what works best is to be focused upon one’s own progress and the work one is here to do. The more one blossoms within to one’s fullness, the more one stops comparing oneself with others. The more one has struggled against the tendencies that resist within, the more generous one becomes towards the real and unreal defects of others. Ultimately, the more we discover the Divine Presence within us, the more we see It in others and then all these judgments and criticisms drop away. We realise that though human beings are full of all kinds of things in their nature, the soul within is always beautiful. It is just that it is covered by the general state of ignorance, and hence they know it not.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
