Those Who Think They Know it All Are Particularly Annoying to Those of Us Who Do

You have a friend. You care very deeply for this friend. This friend willingly, knowingly, repeatedly makes the same mistake over and over, ad nauseum. This mistake is risky behavior in the extreme that will ("will" not "may) ultimately result in potentially grave injury to your friend. Your friend utterly dismisses the harm this would cause to friends and family. This friend refuses to accept that the behavior will tragically affect those closest, especially the children.

If I were walking toward certain injury, ignoring every warning sign, ignoring the history that tells me how certain the injury is and how grave it will be, I can only hope that someone will care enough about me to remind me that I'm not just injuring myself but those around me. I would want to have the opportunity to evaluate my decision.

I can't be sure, but I don't think I'd call my friend an arrogant know-it-all. At least if I did, I hope that I would have the intelligence to rethink my position and take it back. My friend is, after all, trying to help.

The truth is a bitch sometimes. Your friends shouldn't be.