A friend of mine recently sent me some bad news.
She’s been going through some tough times with a friend and she told me that she knew I’d say “I told you so” and I’d be right.
The first thought that crossed my mind as I read the words was “I’d never say that.” What’s the point of making such a cruel comment to someone who’s already suffering? The more I thought about it, the more stupid it seemed to me. Was I really the sort of person to make such a remark?
I called up my friend and told her how badly I felt for her recent falling out and how much I wished she’d work things out eventually. I said, “I wouldn’t say ‘I told you so’ I would have never wanted you to have to go through this.” She thanked me and we chatted for a brief period before it was time for me to get on the plane to Turkey.
Even though she didn’t say, or probably even imply, that I was a vindictive person, the idea of getting satisfaction from having been right about her potential to have a falling out with her friend felt disgusting. The more I thought about the phrase the more repulsive it became in my mind. If I were the sort of person to enjoy being right so much, I needed to change immediately.
Giving advice is not necessarily a bad thing. Often times if a friend asks for my opinion on a subject matter, I’m more than happy to offer my opinion of experience with the subject matter. Especially if the friend is someone on whom I can count to take my words as nothing more than my opinion. I don’t want people to do as I say, I just want to offer them my perspective, as I believe in hearing everyone out before I make a decision.
I also get annoyed at people who give me advice and then get cross if I decide not to do exactly as they recommended. What these people seem to fail to understand is that this is my life. I need to make and be responsible for my own decisions so that if something doesn’t turn out as expected, I only have myself to blame. Disappointments are hard enough to live with as is, the last thing I need is the excuse to blame it on someone else. Nor do I want anyone putting the responsibility of their own misfortune on me.
And ‘I told you so’ accomplishes nothing besides making everything about you. It’s as if you’re saying ‘See you messed up you life, cause you didn’t listen to me. You didn’t take my advice as gospel and now you’re screwed.’ It doesn’t matter if the friend is sad, all you’re thinking of is gloating about how you were right.
Talk about a good friend.
Previously? Home Again.
It is difficult sometimes, no doubt, to offer advice without taking on a polemical tone. Because we really do feel that our opinoin is the right one. When there is often no such thing. I’ve definitely been stuck in this mud before.
I agree with with you that saying “I told you so” doesn’t serve any purpose other than to boost our own ego at the expense of the other’s misfortune.
But then there are times when we just *know* that the choices a person is making is going to eventually lead them to being disappointed, dejected and unhappy, then if we care about that person it is also our duty to warn them and try and for their own sake try and encourage them to rethink… those are the times when the “I told you so” becomes more prevalent… the fear of having to face the “I told you so” may cause someone to stay stuck in the same rutt.
I guess that is when it is important to realize that you can’t learn all the lessons in life based on other people’s experiences and sometimes we just have to make our own mistakes…