Reflectorial: On advice

This can be a touchy subject sometimes.

Some people really need advice so they call all of their friends to ask what they think about a certain scenario. Others check online to see what credible sources, such as Web MD, and others have to say. And others might spill their guts a little bit when drunk over something that’s been on their mind for a while.

But there’s also the camp of people that don’t want advice and they just need a friend to listen and be there. They see your advice as criticizing them or belittling their problem with your hard-and-fast solution that you just thought of — as if they hadn’t taken the time to think about it themselves.

But if we’re being honest with ourselves, we would admit that sometimes we give awful advice. This has to be true since we have all received very bad advice in our lifetimes. Think back and you can probably remember that one person who went on and on about how you should probably get back into the dating scene, eating better or dressing better to get that job. It could have been from a friend, a co-worker or even your mom!

So, you can’t trust anybody, right? Hold on! No, that’s not what we are getting at. What we’re trying to say is give advice a chance. Try to see what a person really means behind what they’re saying. They probably aren’t as bad as that one old guy that yelled at you on the bus for wearing shorts when it was pretty nice out but still technically winter. Especially if this person is a friend. But also, think about how you give advice. Don’t be like Lucy, with her “Psychiatric Help for 5 cents” booth. When you give advice don’t be patronizing, don’t say I told you so and don’t rub it in their face.

One of the best things is getting good advice. It helps you avoid future problems and can mean a lot when you’re in the midst of a tough issue. It can give you perspective. But advice is everywhere too. You should drink 8 glasses of water, be ambidextrous, never eat bananas, wear pink on Wednesdays and more. Take your friend’s advice over what the “world” is telling you. Or hey, don’t listen to us. After all, this is just our advice to you and it’s up to you to take it or keep on keeping on.

— The Reflector Staff