Originally Posted by
chewybrian
Yeah, I was hardly the gracious diplomat, although I thought I could be blunt talking with strangers. I suppose I am not morally obligated to "enlighten" him. And, it's unlikely he would listen, or that I would be tactful enough to be effective, anyway. So, I'll take the coward's way out and avoid the subject. I do hope he's learned his lesson, though, but I doubt it.
It isn't "the coward's way out", it's a recognition of the truth of that old adage about horses and water, and also (perhaps) a dose of humility and a recognition that you don't know everything, and you don't necessarily know what's best for someone else. Look, I won't even go there about whether he's the stupid one and you're the smart one -- he's making his decisions and facingthe consequences, and you're not. Assuming you're right and this guy is just simply being stupid and self-destructive...well, guess what, a lot of people do stupid and self-destructive things, but they are the only ones that can change their behavior. Do you think that all the alcoholics and drug addicts in the world are simply people who never had anybody bother to tell them about the dangers of their behavior? Hah. You may be utterly convinced of the need for someone to correct their behavior in a certain way, but you're not in charge of their life, and they will change that behavior if and when and ONLY if and when they come to that conclusion themselves.