People seek for feedbacks for different reasons. Sometimes, it is just for endorsement of their person, product or process. At other times it is to seek ways of improving an aspect of life of a person or an organization. When Jesus asked the disciples what people thought about Him, it was an attempt to get feedback, obviously. However, He wasn’t seeking man’s endorsement. Jesus never sought human endorsement at any time. He stated matter-of-fact: “I do not receive honour from men” (John 5:41). It was not a self-improvement drive either. Even the people testified that He did all things well. (See Mark 7:37). His question was to lead them to a disclosure of His divinity; which could only happen by revelation. When God asks you a question, it is to lead you to some new consciousness.

“We are never a good judge of ourselves simply because we almost always judge our intentions and not actions. Very often what you intend to say and what you actually say end up being very different.”

As humans, we need feedback from time to time because there are many things we do not know. What we seem to know is often coloured by personal prejudices. One Pratik Deshpande was responding to a question on a social media platform and has this to say: “We are never a good judge of ourselves simply because we almost always judge our intentions and not actions. Very often what you intend to say and what you actually say end up being very different.” This type of disconnect between intention and action will require us to see things from the perspective of others if we are going to constantly improve.