Many years ago I went for
counseling. A man with a big white beard (I am so not making this up) asked me a number of questions, listened
quietly to my responses, then assured me I was a good person and that
I should not be down on myself.
Needless to say, I never went back. I can’t
tell you whether he was right or wrong, but I can tell you he had taken all of
twenty minutes to reach his conclusion. He was pronouncing on my life in utter
ignorance. He could have made a more meaningful diagnosis of my situation by
hurling darts at a dartboard.
Advice is only useful when it comes from people with actual knowledge. That is true whether we are
talking about praise or criticism.
