I would want to help them. Because I had low self esteem after my accident and if I didn't have friends to help me and not give up on me. I would be in a different place.
There is a story (I don't recall it accurately and I have forgotten where I read it) - an allegory - which likens the path to enlightenment, or evolvement, to a mountain which we must all climb. Many of those who climb it are beset with heavy weights in their bags which they carry on their backs. These weights represent their fragilities, their weaknesses, their moral burdens, and all of these make their ascent to the top difficult and laborious. One fellow, however, has no bag to carry and quickly passes by the others. However, they all finally reach the top and the fellow who was nimble and speedy is the last to arrive and they exclaim "We surely thought you would have reached the top before us as you passed us so swiftly", to which the fellow replied "Well, I am here now and I stopped to help others with their burden".
@JovialPlutonian That's the way to do it!! I think the story itself might be a paraphrasing of Jon Bunyan's 'The Pilgrim's Progress'. I have, though, a 17th century illustration in my document room entitled 'Mons Philosophorum' which is similar. I shall look later!
I would do my best to help them, but it takes time, and a lot of effort from both parties. You may tell someone something, and try to help but if they are not ready to hear it, they won’t.
I avoid them now because it's a waste of my time. People only change if they have the desire to put in the work to do so. Low self-esteem, like many issues people have, needs the guidance of a mental healthcare professional, which I'm not.
@SweetMae of course I'm just getting at the point that society isn't overly supportive or people wouldn't be suffering from low self esteem if everyone is supporting them.
