Is Criticism Strictly Forbidden in Breastfeeding?

New Year's at our house means the annual ozoni war.
My wife, originally from Takamatsu, stubbornly insists on "white miso with sweet red bean paste mochi." "This year I didn't add chicken, so it's a flavor everyone will like," she says, refusing to budge an inch. After a futile argument of "Let's just have the regular kind" and "What do you mean, regular?", we end up serving both kinds as usual. Right at the start of the new year, I was painfully reminded of how difficult it is to find common ground in debate.

By the way, the well-known "group idea development technique" brainstorming, commonly called "brainstorm," is said to have four rules: ① Be free and unrestrained, ② No criticism allowed, ③ Build on others' ideas, and ④ Prioritize quantity over quality. The other day, I tried this approach at a seminar. It turned into a group cheerleading session where everyone just said things like, "That's great!" and "Yeah, that's good too!" There was absolutely no criticism, but fundamentally, the conversation didn't really connect either. Hmm, what went wrong?

What struck me then was: "Is 'no criticism' really the right approach?" Sure, you can't brainstorm in an atmosphere where you'd get scolded for suggesting something absurd. It's also true that some people excel at criticizing others' ideas but never propose anything themselves. I understand that brainstorming is about spreading ideas, and evaluating risks or selecting/converging is the next step. But when brainstorming, I still think a certain kind of "criticism" is essential.

Now, I'm not suggesting we start out with an aggressive, accusatory attitude. Rather, when someone says something, don't just accept it at face value. Listen while probing for the logic behind it – why that idea emerged, the context of when, where, who, to whom, what, how... The other rule, "building on ideas," doesn't mean jumping on anything blindly. It means finding something compelling about an idea's perspective and developing it further. That inherently involves internally rejecting something at that point – thinking critically.

The "no criticism" rule in brainstorming likely means: think critically in your mind (neither blindly accepting nor completely rejecting, while seeking possibilities). But in your behavior, never create a negative atmosphere that makes others feel inhibited.

It's confusing, isn't it? We're told to "think creatively by breaking free from common sense and mastering critical thinking," yet one of the core rules of brainstorming is "no criticism allowed." I resolved to properly clarify this at the next seminar.

Since we inevitably make too much New Year's cuisine during the holidays, I forcibly invited my seniors from the company tennis court, Mr. Ueda and the Okuyama couple, to a New Year's gathering. And when we got tipsy on Akita's famous sake, Fukukomachi, we inevitably wanted to settle the debate: clear soup or white miso soup with sweet rice cakes? I had everyone try it and insisted, "See? Red bean paste mochi in zōni is gross, right?" But we ended up agreeing that "No, no, it's surprisingly good."

It seems "criticism is strictly forbidden" not just in brainstorming sessions, but in everyday conversation too.
This New Year, I'll make a fresh start and be mindful of my words as I continue this series.

Please, enjoy!