A balm to the wounds in us all.”Within 40 seconds, some woman comments: “Be careful. We love giving unsolicited advice, and we almost universally hate receiving it. But SusanBarbaraKaren or JohnJamesJeremy on social media, or the stranger at the bus stop, have not. If you’ve consented to read this column, by the way, that doesn’t count as unsolicited advice. Nevertheless there are plenty of philosophers who would suggest that unsolicited advice is a bad idea.

Source: The Irish Times February 16, 2026 07:44 UTC