Advice

Pass any good advice that you may have to your friends and loved ones. Good advice are seldom use on oneself, usually it is meant for others. At least that is what Olson Wilde once said with regards to advice meant for others and not for oneself. On the contrary, there’s another saying that states one should practice what one preach. So is it necessary for us to walk the talk so to speak so as to maintain our integrity or should we just give any good advice we may have a miss from ourselves for the time being and instead pass it on to others?

Naturally we would expect top management of any organization inclusive of political parties to walk the talk since the average citizens and employees look up to the leaders for confidence. In a bid to dispel fears among the Thai consumer with regards to safety of poultry consumption amidst the bird flu situation in the country, the then Prime Minister Thaksin of Thailand walk the talk by publicly eating fried chicken wings.
Even though it is more of a publicity stunt more than anything else nevertheless it does goes to show walking the talk or doing what one preach has tremendous impact on audience.

I recalled an American Olympic goal medalist swimmer who was taught by a coach who does not even knows how to swim. Speaking about passing good advice instead of using it on one-self, aren’t the swimmer situations described above the best classic example?

I bet you didn’t you know that there are many doctors who wouldn’t even consider chemotherapy themselves or for their loved ones if they themselves or their loved ones are afflicted with cancer? Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are some of the standard medical treatment that doctors are taught to recommend for patients stricken with cancer. Why is it that I say there are many doctors themselves who wouldn’t even think nor consider chemotherapy treatment on their own selves? The answer is simple, doctors knows that the recovery rate for chemotherapy treatments for patients with advance stage cancer is very slim, perhaps less than 10% and even so, the recovery rate becomes almost down to one figure or virtually zero if one is to consider the possibility of complete cancer remission beyond 5 years after the 1st year of the chemotherapy treatment.

I am also reminded of my family dentist who chooses to bring his daughter to another dentist specialist to have her teeth mended instead of doing it him-self. The fear of not being able to give his best treatment to his own daughter or fear of being blame by his own daughter for any botch up dental job or the lack of confidence to perform dental surgery on one’s own loved ones if enough to bring any bravest and most experience dentist to down to their knees I suppose.


Thus next time if you feel you have any good advice, consider if you have an immediate need of use for it and if so apply the advice you have pickup to try to address your problems first be whatever they are instead of trying to pass it blindly to others. Advice that works for you may not necessary work for others though so be cautious when passing advice to others. I would suggest you do not pass any advice that does not work for you to others, be very sincere and honest in helping others. If it does not work for you chances it may not work for others too.

If you have no immediate need of use for the advice you have, be cautious when you pass it to others, less you get blame for making things worst, always remind those whom you gave advice to use it at their own discretion and that the outcome depends very much on the circumstances involved.

So there goes so much so for advice, attached are photos taken during my recent Sichuan trip. Enjoy reading and cheers.