Friendship is one of the most vital aspects of life. One’s interactions with others as well as the close bonds and trust they form with friends help them lead a good and fulfilling life. But in a situation where one’s friend is making mistakes or having massive flaws, is it better to point that out to them? Or should they kindly ignore it? I believe it depends on the severity of the situation, but personally I would be straight forward about their failings.
First of all, in my opinion, honesty is essential in an authentic friendship. Admittedly, truth can sometimes hurt, but living in a lie will have more detrimental long-term effects. Kindly ignoring a friend’s mistakes is, from my point of view, not a sign of empathy, but merely the avoidance of confrontation. For example, when someone asks the advice of a friend, they are in most cases asking for an honest opinion, even though false words of encouragement might sound more reassuring in the moment.
Secondly, when you are ignoring your friend’s failings, you are not helping them grow. Friendship also involves assisting each other in developing, learning and maturing. Unless someone knows that what they are doing is wrong, how could they possibly ever change for the better? Shedding light on a friend’s weak points or faults, if they are not highly subjective or biased opinions, is in my view aiding them in doing the first right step towards growing as a person. The first reaction, of course, might not always be of gratitude towards your honesty, but it is undoubtedly the right thing to do.
To sum it all up, as long as you’re not imposing biased irrelevant opinions and as long as you do it with the purpose of helping them grow, I believe that pointing out your friend’s failings is better than avoiding them all together. This will lead to a more honest friendship and a stronger bond between the two of you.