We harm people by treating metaphysical errors with psychological palliatives

There is a very common psychological scenario in which someone is (or feels himself to be) motivated by high goals, then he is given "well meaning" advice that addresses mundane concerns. And the consequence is that the high-aimer feels misunderstood and alienated.   

For instance, somebody wants to change jobs or get married; and such risky (and perhaps genuinely misguided) behaviour is met by "well-meaning" pragmatic advice pitched at the level of probabilistic human psychology.

Perhaps advice about being cautious, not burning bridges, maybe by describing the kind of adverse scenarios that could be expected to eventuate - and so forth. 

In this situation; one person is operating at a higher level of aspiration and motivation than the other; and the attempt to drag him down to mundane cautiousness and matters of practical expedience may (quite accurately) be experienced as a profound misunderstanding - and the process leaves the high-aiming one feeling isolated.

This is a serious error of discourse. 

Yet, I'm sure we have all done it - and more than once. 

Especially because in our society, the mundane is equated with the only-real - and high goals seems imaginary and delusional - which indeed they may be... 

But the point is that even "obviously" mistaken, imaginary and delusional high aspirations need to be addressed at the same level - or a higher level. 

We should learn not to try and drag-down high aspirations to expedient pragmatism - even when (perhaps especially when) the aspirations are wrong. 

This situation arises in individual persons and at a societal level. For example; it describes public discourse concerning 1960s counter-culture - as it affected many millions of adolescents and young adults. 

The counter-culture included a great deal of manipulation and wishful-delusion; and was based on wrong metaphysical assumptions and included many selfish and hedonic intentions - nonetheless it operated at a higher than mundane level: a level of "idealism". 

When flaky and naïve 60s ideals were met with pragmatic and mundane arguments concerning the Real World and economic necessity, status and security - this was (rightly) experienced as an attack on idealism, and a dragging-down of high aspirations to the futility of barnyard materialism.

In dealing with high but wrong aims; we ought to eschew the temptation of shooting at the easy mundane targets - and consequently reducing the discourse to a level of mere survival and selfishness. 

We ought to respect the aspiration for higher things - and sympathize with the instinct to reject mere expediency as the primary guide for life. 

We need to meet naïve idealism on its own level, or above. 

NOTE: This point was derived from re-reading and considering Chapter Four of William Arkle's A Geography of Consciousness.