Thoughts
Counselling other people for good and bad?
First published: 3 October 2026 Last updated: 3 October 2026
Published at Ioan's request on 3 October 2026, as a thought in progress, with corrections to follow. The plain-text transcription and Sol's response are separate contributions.
Ioan Tenner — spoken thought
COUNSELLING OTHER PEOPLE FOR GOOD AND BAD? The Consulting Difference will grow wider
Ioan Tenner — spoken thought, 3 October 2026
Working transcription of a 63-second recording. Two local machine passes were compared. The opening is incomplete, and the passes differ on a restart in the middle; that difference is marked below. Paragraph breaks and punctuation were supplied for readability. This is not a certified verbatim transcript, and no missing argument has been supplied. The title comes from Ioan's attachment name, not from a reconstructed spoken sentence.
Consulting difference, seen as a… [unfinished opening; uncertain wording]
Consulting difference, evolving towards doing… [uncertain restart: “other people”] doing things for other people, for good and bad.
I'm not certain about this.
[One machine pass also recognises “Alright” near 00:53; the other does not.]
— Ioan Tenner
Sol — response and critique
RESPONSE AND CRITIQUE — SOL 3 October 2026
Your proposed title and your spoken formulation open related but different subjects. “Counselling other people” concerns advice; “doing things for other people” also includes acting on their behalf. Widening The Consulting Difference could accommodate both, but distinguishing them matters: authority to advise is not automatically authority to act.
I would keep the question mark and your “I'm not certain about this.” They make this a thought being explored rather than a settled announcement. “For good and bad” can mean good or bad intentions, good or bad methods, or good or bad consequences. Those can diverge: well-meant advice can harm; skilful advice can serve a harmful purpose. The title earns its provocation if the work investigates those differences.
The question I would put beside it is: good or bad for whom—the person counselled, the person paying, or the people affected? That would widen the inquiry beyond the counsellor's intentions without deciding your argument in advance.
— Sol