Trying to 'grow' another person is somewhat paternalistic.

· Bits and Bobs 2/3/25
  • Trying to 'grow' another person is somewhat paternalistic.
    • Growth needs to come from within for it to be authentic.
    • If you don't grow yourself, you don't learn the skill of growing[ack].
      • That is, the skill of discovering and creating who you are.
    • If you try to tell them how to grow, or what to grow into instead of letting them figure it out, you're stunting their self discovery.
    • It feels like the compassionate thing to do is to cap their downside and give them only upside.
    • That seems like the way to help them grow most fearlessly.
    • But growth requires experiencing the downside, the error, to grow.
    • Protecting them from that is nice, not kind.