We cannot teach people anything: we can only help them discover it within themselves. -Galileo Galilei
There are times you’ve tried to tell somebody something you know to be true for their own good, but they don’t seem to hear you. If they are old enough to make their own decisions, you must let those people you love try life their way and if they have to, let them fall flat on their face, and hopefully they don’t get hurt to badly. Even if you know that their way doesn’t work, they may not readily accept someone else’s suggestions, so give them the respect of letting them do THEIR life THEIR way. They may be more apt to listen to you if they can see for themselves that doing things in the way they are going isn’t working. You learn life’s lessons much better in the Valley than you do on the mountain tops.
This is a hard lesson to watch if it’s someone you love but a necessary lesson if they are to be allowed to use life’s experiences, both positive and negative, to grow and mature into functioning adults. Just telling some people the world is not seen through rose colored glasses is not enough, some people have to find out for themselves. It would be nice if you could tell those we care about that the stove is hot so don’t touch it and they would leave it alone. But, even though they watch you burn your hand when you touch it, they can see the burn for themselves and the pain that is causing you, some people have to touch it for themselves and suffer the burns that come along with it.
That means you have to be tough enough to allow them to do some of the things you’ve learned them against. You have to be strong enough to allow them to travel their own path and arrive at the destination that that path leads to, even though you saw the negative possibilities clearer than they did. It sounds easy but sometimes, our emotions torture us while those we love are learning their lessons because we love them so much. Swallow hard if you must but learn to get passed it and realize that each person gets to choose their own path, for better or worse. It is their right. Many people have learned the fine art of prayer during the times of watching loved and cherished people in their lives, on a crash course with trouble and trials.