Instructions for Use

Nothing like a cute little Monday Morning Mini-Rant on expectations, understanding, and de Saussure in the context of self-improvement to kick-start the week.

Fine, I’ll go easy on de Saussure this time.

“What do you think?” is usually a question one might ask when they would like to hear a piece of advice from you.

By its simplest definition, “advice” is “an opinion or a suggestion about what somebody should do in a particular situation.”

As such, it is usually sought when one wishes to observe a certain idea or a situation from a fresh perspective or a different angle.

Rarely does one ask “What do you think?” and seek guidance in terms of instructions.

Mostly because in such an instance, one would, in fact, request: “Tell me what to do.”

And that would be very silly, because one has ChatGPT to tell them what to do these days, not you.

Laugh all you want, but know this:

It is equally foolish to give advice and expect the other person to act upon it, as it is for the other person to seek advice with the intention of following through without thinking about it first.

So think. Listen. Give advice. Be reasonable.

And don’t go around mixing your signifiers and signifieds, making everyone’s life a living hell.

Whoops, I said hell… and slipped in a bit of de Saussure…

What do you think? 🤭