Criticism will come for you, sooner or later. Best make your peace, especially if you work in the public eye.I’m thinking in context of the ski patrol strike and onslaught of criticism over the past two weeks, indeed the fury at Park City Mountain’s management. Not so much about better, more respectful ways to criticize — as opposed to much of the venting and abuse doled out among the keyboard warriors and in the lift lines. Ski Utah CEO Nathan Rafferty and Park City Mountain chief Deirdra Walsh offered compelling checks on that in columns last week.It is possible to be thoughtful in disagreement, which also tends to have the advantage of being more persuasive than torching the very soul of someone with the temerity to hold a different view, make a bad decision, take a wrong turn — at least according to you.Rafferty and Walsh rose above the fray, as did Park City Mayor Nann Worel in her statements on behalf of the City Council. And, of course, they took some criticism for that, too.I have a lot of respect for all three leaders, along with Tom Kelly, including what he wrote today in his column. It does take courage to counter a human high tide of expression and call for better. You don’t have to agree with one’s position on an issue to recognize that much. You can make strong points without resorting to vitriol.Still, people are going to be who they are, especially on social media. They aren’t likely to heed your rules or give you much credit when it’s your turn to weather a storm. You would be a fool to expect kindness, reason, fairness or accuracy. Best be prepared for the opposite, I think.My hide has grown thick over the years, most definitely. That’s a byproduct of the career. But I think maybe more so, I’ve developed a philosophy for dealing with criticism that might be helpful for thinner-skinned souls who find themselves uncomfortably in the public eye:Maybe the most important tenet is that criticism is never personal even when intended so. A critic’s words say more about them than you. At root, they are only revealing themselves. It’s personal only for them. And if you remove the intended sting, you are better positioned to evaluate the factual content of a barb. Every gibe doesn’t need to be answered. You’ve had your say, done what you believed to be right, made the call. Not everyone, perhaps not anyone, will necessarily agree. They don’t have to. Let them have their say. You might well be wrong. We make mistakes, follow bad advice, get hasty, trip up. Consider this possibility thoroughly.This helps me, anyway. The ultimate goal is the right thing, the best choice, the truth. Stripped of personal animus, critics can be enormously helpful. Even the trolls, bullies, bad bosses, errant employees, various wackadoodles. You’re not always right. They aren’t always wrong.Yes, people often should behave better. But selfishly, I suppose, I’m going to focus on me, someone I have a prayer of controlling. I’ll take the critics as they are.  Don Rogers is the editor and publisher of The Park Record. He can be reached at [email protected] or (970) 376-0745.The post Journalism Matters: Can’t duck the critics appeared first on Park Record.