Ramblings of someone who heard a side of a story but has not heard the other person's side (and therefore may not be taken as authority on said matter)

Patience is a vital component of friendship. It is exhibiting tolerance and therefore exercising kindness. I used to be incapable of that. But now that I have matured I can safely say that my patience has improved by at least 50%.

However, patience has a limit. When someone exhibits tactlessness on very rare occasions you may consider those occasions as accidents or slips of the tongue. But if the experience is frequent and getting worse, then, as a friend, one has to warn the said party for his/her own safety. But how to do it? How do you tell someone that they should change their ways when they think that they are always correct? How do you warn someone of impending doom if he or she feels that they are invincible? Or maybe not invincible but at least confident of his or her stand.

Youth should never be used as an excuse for tactlessness. When I was young someone told me that I was tactless. I looked it up and found that a tactless person lacked perceptiveness, judgment and finesse. I can't say that I am no longer guilty of such but at least I now know how to control myself. I know when to blurt out and when to shut up. I know when to attack and when to retreat so I can prepare for a better attack.

When you are caught between two people whom you both like and would like to protect from each other what do you do? You cannot take sides of course. You cannot say that one is at fault even though it's pretty obvious. You cannot always say “be patient because she is younger”. But you cannot always reprimand someone because she is younger. You wouldn't want her to think that you are taking sides. But you also do not want the other to think that you are condoning the unacceptable act.

Any answers? Please post your comments.