The hardest thing to swallow is another person's praise, and that too if they are commended in our presence. The digestion goes worse if the extoled person happens to be any of our colleagues. Some teachers don't even like students admiring other teachers. They waste no time enumerating the demerits of the eulogised teacher. It's not the success of the colleague that turns us mad; it's our morbid desire to be lionised by the ones who occupy our minds. Psychology suggests that a friend's success disturbs the insecure soul more than an enemy's does.

Some teachers suffering from praise constipation downplay their students' achievements, fearing generational defeat. The students' knowledgeability fed by modernism puts them way ahead of their teachers who keep themselves stagnant. A teacher should feel proud of his disciple's surpassing him. If the student doesn't excel or isn't allowed to, it's a failure of the education system.

Some narcissist parents, instead of appreciating their children's laurels, start comparing themselves with them.........

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