Original Poetry • Leslie Berg • 2026
A humorous look at Solomon's paradox: why giving brilliant advice to everyone else can be so much easier than making sensible decisions in our own lives.
Old King Solomon was deeply revered,
For the brilliant advice that he volunteered.
If two mothers fought over one single tot,
He’d threaten a sword and unpack the whole plot.
He could solve any crisis, dismantle any drama,
From financial disputes to a fight with your mama.
Folks traveled for miles just to hear his great mind,
Leaving their worries and troubles behind.
But look at his own life! Oh, what a disaster,
A chaotic circus no logic could master!
He had seven hundred wives (and a few hundred more),
Which means his phone battery died at the door.
He blew through his budget, spent cash like a fool,
Completely ignoring his own golden rule.
The man who was labeled the wisest alive,
In his own personal life simply couldn't survive.
And that is the paradox named for the king:
We know how to fix every single damn thing,
As long as the problem belongs to a friend,
We’ll tell them exactly how drama should end.
"Just break up with Leo! Go join a new gym!
Stop eating that pizza! Your chances are slim!"
We act like supreme, all-knowing directors,
Of everyone else’s emotional sectors.
But the second our life starts to slide off the track,
Our logical thinking goes straight out the back.
We panic, we cry, and we text our ex "Hey,"
While eating cold cheese at three hours past day.
Our brain, which was sharp as a razor for others,
Becomes a confused, sweating heap under covers.
So how do we beat this bizarre mental trap?
And stop our own choices from turning to crap?
Psychologists say you should pull far away,
And talk to yourself like a script in a play.
Say, "Why is he crying? Why did she buy that boat?"
And write your own life like a gossipy note.
Pretend you’re a stranger just passing on through,
And give yourself the advice you need to do!
— Leslie Berg, 2026
The Expert of Everyone Else is an original humorous poem by Leslie Berg, published on the Create Joy Studios website as part of her poetry and writing collection.
Inspired by Solomon's paradox, the poem examines the peculiar human tendency to offer clear, confident solutions to other people's problems while struggling to apply the same reasoning to our own circumstances.
About the Poem
The Expert of Everyone Else explores Solomon's paradox, a psychological phenomenon describing how people can reason more wisely about someone else's personal difficulties than about their own.
Through exaggerated humor, playful rhyme, and a modern interpretation of the biblical King Solomon, the poem highlights the difference between recognizing good advice and following it.
Its closing lines introduce the idea of psychological distance: considering one's own problems from an outsider's perspective may make it easier to evaluate a situation with greater clarity.
Beneath the comedy is a recognizable observation about human behavior: wisdom often comes easily when the consequences belong to someone else.