The Wisdom of Saying Nothing

Recently, a staff person at a local restaurant was briefly telling me about some struggles in her

life.  After she talked about her frustration and her weariness—in an effort to be helpful and encouraging—I told her, “Don’t give up!”

She responded by saying, “Sometimes it’s best to give up.”

I said, “Well, I guess that’s true. You may come to a point where it’s not worth fighting anymore and it would be best to give up.”

She said, “Gee whiz, what kind of advice is that?  It’s pretty discouraging.”

Have I mentioned that sometimes it’s best to simply say nothing?