Ask Socrates

By Socrates

Dear Socrates,

My best friend recently got engaged to a man she’s been dating for seven months. He’s a great guy, but he wants her to skip law school so she can move to Boston with him and start a family. I’m not the only one of her friends who thinks she’s making a big mistake. How do I approach her about this?

— Confused and Concerned

Dear Confused,

What is it to approach one’s friend?

Dear Socrates,

My son came home yesterday with a pierced ear. He says it’s just a way of expressing how he truly feels, but his father says it makes him look effete. They keep trying to drag me into the middle of things. I just want peace! What do I do?
— Stuck in the Middle

Dear Stuck,

Does expression function as an end, or merely as a means by which the thing expressed may be invoked?

Dear Socrates,

I’m in love with my secretary. Is the romance worth the professional risk?

— Alvin Haley, Boca Raton

Dear Alvin,

Is it?