Douglas F. Ottati

My letter casts us in roles that can make for difficulties. As an advisor, I risk succumbing to inordinate self-assurance and pride. As an advisee, you risk overconfidence in others (most notably, me) as well as too little regard for your own judgments and experiences. But there are also pitfalls of not giving and receiving advice. If I refuse to offer, I risk underestimating the importance of speaking to you from my own place and time. I also fail to be your companion in a longer living tradition, neglect my responsibility to participate with you in the activity of “handing-on.”