Piece of Advice
28. Mär 2026,
The impact was less hard than expected. But the burning on my cheek was impossible to ignore — and good advice was hard to come by. It felt like a clap in the face. Though this very thing — advice in certain situations — is often an uninvited guest. Or the fifth wheel on the wagon.
Generally speaking, advice is good-natured and, above all, well-intentioned.
Which means it could become quite a pleasant companion.
The sort you’d invite for a beer or spend a weekend with in Las Vegas.
Though… isn’t Las Vegas located in that country with the peculiar government, where good advice is rare — or downright lethal?
I’m getting sidetracked.
Back to the sociable piece of advice.
It hails from a prosperous and well-established family.
A family that moved through human society with warmth and empathy.
Its members are largely diverse in their endeavours.
Yes, every now and then one of the advice-givers makes a simpleminded slip.
But in general, the advisers, the advice-takers, the council lords and council ladies go about their business with the best of intentions.
Those who seek advice should be able to find it.
Whether the advice ultimately helps the desperate is individual and tailor-made.
Either it fits — or it misses the mark entirely.
The Advice family is remarkably prolific in literary terms.
In every bookshop, or even more so on the internet — and lately in the AI department — the family’s manifestos stand ready in abundance, offering solutions to the desperate.
For good money, of course.
“Advisers of all countries, unite!” — in literature and in the media.
There are members of the Advice family who engage in philanthropy.
They can be found all across the globe — or at least their will to offer uninvited help has found its carriers.
Who hasn’t experienced it: out of a clear blue sky or mid-conversation, an unsolicited piece of advice comes hurtling your way.
Yes, one of those blurted-out sentences that leaves some recipients speechless and bewildered.
Those people who are entirely unexpectedly confronted with advice they never asked for.
Wondrous are the ways of the free advice-givers.
As a former adolescent, I was confronted on the parental side with advice of the uninvited variety.
At some point, enough was enough.
And it was time for the experiment.
An idea I had derived from some book or several books.
The thinking behind the experiment was already rather thrilling — and for a rebellious young person, downright fascinating.
All I had to do now was wait for the opportunity to send the experiment on its test run.
And lo and behold, my father soon launched into his advice sermon to help me shape my future sensibly.
I listened attentively, with visibly conspicuous interest.
When he finished his speech, the actual experiment began.
I summarised the content of his advice in compressed form, then said: “OK, I’ll do exactly what you said, Dad. But I have one condition. If I follow your advice to the letter and things go sideways, you pay me a hundred francs. If it turns out well, I’ll pay you a hundred francs. Can we put that in a contract?”
The experiment achieved one thing: the uninvited advice became less and less frequent — until it dried up entirely.
Conclusion: Advice and guests are most welcome — provided they are invited.
