I think it's important to understand that such remarks, while grammatically in the second person, are not really addressed to the OP (who as he says, has learne

I think it's important to understand that such remarks, while grammatically in the second person, are not really addressed to the OP (who as he says, has learned from his experiences). They're really addressed to all the other people who have not yet learned those lessons. Maybe in some cases they're addressed to the commenter's acquaintances who make foolish suggestions like 'now you've got a high-paying job, why don't you buy a sports car?' But it is probably also a good idea to not put such remarks in the second person, to avoid confusion.