Advice

Prompt: There is usually a kernel of truth in the words Oscar Wilde puts in the mouth of his most outrageous characters — they wouldn’t be funny otherwise. One such gem that is worth pondering is: The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.

Topic: Is it true that when we most need advice we are least willing to listen to it? Or is good advice always welcome?

Is the most needed advice always the advice that we don’t want to hear? Is good advice always welcome? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, or you want to know my opinion on this topic, you’ve come to the right place. In this essay I will talk about what my answer and opinion is to both of these questions. I will also briefly talk about the quote that I put at the very beginning of this essay.

Let’s start with the first question. Is the most needed advice the advice that we don’t want to hear? I think the answer is yes. Here’s why I think that. What is the definition of advice? Guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent future action. According to the definition, when someone gives you advice, they are suggesting that you change your behavior or what you’re doing. Most people don’t like to change their behavior and their regular habits or routine. If it’s the most needed advise, that means it’s really important that you change your actions for the future. I have found that typically, the more important the information is, the less likely it is to be accepted. Because of this, my answer to the first part of the question is yes. I believe that the most needed advice is the least accepted.

Advice is easy to give because it’s so easy to voice our own opinion. When we are given advice, we already have something else in our head. If we ask for someone else’s advice or opinion, we sometimes don’t want to accept it because we wanted a different answer than they gave. A lot of people don’t want to actually use advice, they just want the advice they’re given to validate what they’re already doing or thinking.

The second question in the topic I was given is: is good advice always welcome? My answer to this is no. If you think about it, this is kind of a trick question. It asks if it’s always welcome. Always is a powerful word that you can’t really use very often. Good advice can be welcome, but it’s not always welcome. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of good advice that is received well. It’s just that it’s simply not possible for all advise to be accepted willingly.

As I said in the introduction, I will also put in my two cents worth about the quote that I was given. “The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.” I do agree with this statement. When we are given good advice or have good advice to share, we shouldn’t keep it to ourselves. It doesn’t do much good if we’re the only ones that know about it. (or as the quote says, it is never of any use to only yourself) If you pass it on, more people will know about it and hopefully implement it in their life. If you share and they use it, the world becomes a better place.

To wrap up this paper, here is a summary of what you just read. In my opinion, the most needed advice is (almost) always what we don’t want to hear or accept; Good advice can be welcome, but it isn’t always accepted; and I think that everyone should pass on the advice that they’re given, so that the world can be a better place.

I hope you enjoyed this. If you disagree or have a different opinion than I do on this topic, let me know in the comments to that I can see both sides of the argument. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and have a spectacular morning, day, afternoon, evening, or night!