Betty Edwards22 said:Look, I’m talking about the entire conversation you were having with him—which I know now because you're clearly getting defensive about it. Honestly, I couldn't care less if there were two people involved or five; it doesn't change anything for me.
You can't explain anything to him at this point. He’s still looking at it like he's just trying to strip some copper wiring out of a wall, while I'm over here trying to have a conversation with someone actually using their brain. I might be able to clear up a few minor details, but once he's fully committed to his delusions? Yeah, good luck. It's basically impossible.
You should have just replied directly under his post instead of posting this, where it’s painfully obvious my take isn't yours. Telling someone, "Just go home; your nose surgery is nothing," isn't helpful—you should be trying to actually convince them otherwise. I honestly believe everything can be explained if you actually care enough to make someone understand. Sometimes you just need to have some patience and show a little humanity instead of getting worked up and talking down to people just because they hold a different opinion. If you work in healthcare, you really should know better. None of us know everything about everything, and we certainly don't have to.
Did he actually do his homework before making such a massive, high-stakes move? I mean, it’s not really my place to judge. If you want to help him out, then give him everything you've got. But if he just won't get it, that's on him. At least you can tell yourself you tried. On the other hand, if you feel like you can't be of any use, then maybe just stay quiet? I don't get why everyone is so worked up. It's not like all this yelling is actually helping anyone.
Besides that, I feel like...
Surgeon Who exactly is performing the surgery? The surgeon is supposed to walk him through every single detail regarding the procedure and the recovery process, but clearly, that didn't happen during the consultation. I highly doubt the guy would be okay with pulling a 4-5 hour flight on the very same day as his surgery if he’d actually had a decent, thorough conversation first. He probably still has a mountain of unanswered questions hanging over his head. Honestly, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't be rushing into this either. I definitely wouldn't be putting myself in anyone's hands until they gave me straight answers to everything I need to know. Like you said, this isn't some minor thing where you just "go in to get a mole removed."
Look, it is what it is. In my opinion, everything's already been decided, so why shouldn't we step up and help him out as much as possible? We should aim to make this as successful as we can and hopefully make things a little easier on him personally. I mean, isn't that exactly what this forum is for? That's just how I see it.
He finally figured out the best way to handle everything given the circumstances. He’s actually done his homework on the city he's moving to so he can hit the ground running and settle in quickly. Now that we have some actual details, I just want to wish him the best of luck—he's heading into surgery tomorrow. Honestly, if even one piece of our advice helps him out, I'll be thrilled. I know firsthand how much it means to have someone show a little patience when you're in a situation like this. I'd rather someone draw me a helpful map than sit there lecturing me, acting all arrogant and high-and-mighty, leaving useless comments that don't help anyone.
Look, there’s way too much pointless philosophy going on here. To avoid getting totally off-topic, I’ll just give you my bottom line: As I understand it, this thread exists so we can swap experiences, ask questions, and actually answer them. If you think your own experience or some specific knowledge could actually help someone out, then go ahead and jump in. But if you feel like someone has completely lost the plot and you don't have the patience to deal with it, you don't need to say a damn thing. Honestly, if they’re getting on your nerves, just ignore their posts. Maybe someone else will have the energy to step in and help them.
🙂