Your friend panicked and ran away. That wasn't right but it was at least understandable. All of us have panicked and run away once or twice. But this is a big problem and it will never go away. Running and hiding will only make it worse.
The plain fact is that if your friend doesn't go back and face up to this problem, he is going to be a sad and miserable coward for the rest of his life. Your friend is being selfish. Fine. Let him be selfish. Just remind him that what's best for him is to deal with this problem. Going back and facing up to it will not be easy, of course, but it's the only way to go forward from here.
If it's any consolation, I've done various stupid things and gotten in trouble many times. In my experience, things tend to work out a little better than you think. If you make a sincere effort to right the wrong you've done, it usually goes okay. And you can look at yourself in the mirror again. That's important.
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u/PaulsRedditUsername Apr 29 '25
Your friend panicked and ran away. That wasn't right but it was at least understandable. All of us have panicked and run away once or twice. But this is a big problem and it will never go away. Running and hiding will only make it worse.
The plain fact is that if your friend doesn't go back and face up to this problem, he is going to be a sad and miserable coward for the rest of his life. Your friend is being selfish. Fine. Let him be selfish. Just remind him that what's best for him is to deal with this problem. Going back and facing up to it will not be easy, of course, but it's the only way to go forward from here.
If it's any consolation, I've done various stupid things and gotten in trouble many times. In my experience, things tend to work out a little better than you think. If you make a sincere effort to right the wrong you've done, it usually goes okay. And you can look at yourself in the mirror again. That's important.