To Kick or Lift?

VS.

I know some might be confused by seeing a picture of Michelle Money and Ashley H. from The Bachelor compared to a picture of Brandon Davies, but I promise there's a good explanation for that. :)

On Monday night, in the midst of an incredible snow storm outside, I watched The Bachelor: The Women Tell All episode. I know I may have lost some of you just now, but keep reading. :) As I watched the episode I listened to woman after woman tear the other down and criticize every possible weakness and perceived fault. The comments were cruel and tactless. It was astonishing to see the criticism people are capable of.

The next day, I read a blog post about Brandon Davies detailing how a former BYU basketball player, Mekeli Wesley, who went through a similar situation in 1998, reached out to Davies. Wesley said, ""I sat down with him and hugged him.We cried together." 

Now, I know these two situations seem worlds apart, but when I saw/read the two stories I instantly connected them. Here you have one situation where people are kicking each other while the others are down, and another situation where someone decided to lift up the other.

I thought to myelf, which one am I more likely to do when I see the faults in others? Which one would you do? Which one should we do?
 
I thought it was time to take a little bit of a self-inventory and remind myself how I can be an influence for good when I choose to "lift the arms that hang down" and "strengthen the feeble knees" instead of criticizing those around me.