“…a true friend has your best interests at heart and the pluck to tell you what you need to hear.” ― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

No man or woman is complete unto him or herself. Man is a gregarious species for this reason. We need one another. We, in this sense, complete one another.

At the same time, man is endowed with free will. His agency allows him to make decisions and enact them on the world around him. Each man is ultimately responsible for his decisions, so no matter how much advice or guidance he receives from others, he must in the end choose his own course of action. Children are initially dependent upon the direction of their caregivers, but children rightly mature to the point where their agency is also self-determined (and ideally centered in righteousness).

The advice and caution of others is only limiting if a man abandons his capacity of free will and if said advice or caution is not rooted in truth. Blind acceptance of the groundless fears or cautions of another can be just as damaging as willful disregard of sage counsel.

The exhortations of a true friend can be worth their weight in gold. If a friend who truly “has your best interests at heart” has the “pluck to tell you what you need to hear,” then by all means, have the courage to be vulnerable and take that which is offered to heart. Remember: we have one another for a reason.