It’s Jerry Springer’s world, and he’s just living in it.

It’s generally a good rule of thumb to avoid telling others how to live their lives. If your college friend is considering becoming a monk and you think that’s a weird choice, you could tell him that you think it’s a terrible idea, or you could let him live his life because he knows what’s best for him more than you do. The latter will probably help your friendship more than criticizing him from a judgmental place. If he’s not hurting anybody, then what’s the harm?

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. If the way that someone else is living their life is affecting your life negatively, it’s not always the worst idea to let them know. If your roommate is playing loud video games until 2 AM, it’s not an infringement on their freedom to ask them to keep it down while you’re trying to sleep. If your roommate complains that you’re keeping them from «living their life,» they have some serious growing up to do. 

Not all relationships give both parties an equal chance to take umbridge. Parents won’t often take their children’s grievances about their personal life seriously, even if they really should.