Note that I didn't say you should always be tough. Of course that being kind and compassionate is the right answer most of the time. It's just that sometimes a

Note that I didn't say you should always be tough. Of course that being kind and compassionate is the right answer most of the time. It's just that sometimes a figurative slap is the right thing the sufferer needs to wake up from the suffering and realize there's no actual need to suffer like that. It's all very personal and context dependent and, most importantly, it should never be done in anger.