EvC Forum: On feeling sorry for people

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Topic: On feeling sorry for people

purpledawn

Member (Idle past 3488 days)

Posts: 4453

From: Indiana

Joined: 04-25-2004

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Message 262 of 300 (342873)
08-23-2006 10:55 PM

Reply to: Message 260 by robinrohan
08-23-2006 7:51 PM

To Each His Own

quote:
Interpretation: "You claim . . ." [I claimed I cared but I really didn't, because I didn't do anything].

The average person, reading what you wrote, would, I think, interpret the passage that way. And I think that's what you meant, despite your later protestations.

Now see I didn't interpret the original responses that way. I would not have gone over and talked with the veterans either and I'm a veteran. While my father was ill, I made a lot of trips to the VA Hospital.

Visiting with strangers is not my strong suit. My mother is good at it, but I'm not. My father was too.

Now that doesn't mean that at various times during the trips to the VA that conversations didn't happen between me and veterans I didn't know, but I didn't make a point of starting one. They happened naturally.

I'm sure I've missed a lot of opportunities to visit with interesting people, but I've found I'm more helpful if I stick to my comfort zone.

Jar sounds like someone who is more outgoing.

IMO, the situation has nothing to do with morality, but personality.

"Peshat is what I say and derash is what you say." --Nehama Leibowitz

This message is a reply to:
	Message 260 by robinrohan, posted 08-23-2006 7:51 PM		robinrohan has replied

Replies to this message:
	Message 267 by robinrohan, posted 08-24-2006 8:23 AM		purpledawn has replied

purpledawn

Member (Idle past 3488 days)

Posts: 4453

From: Indiana

Joined: 04-25-2004

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Message 268 of 300 (342941)
08-24-2006 10:14 AM

Reply to: Message 267 by robinrohan
08-24-2006 8:23 AM

Re: To Each His Own

No I mean the original response in Message 226

jar writes:

What an unbelievable opportunity you missed. I pity you.

Not too long ago I went to visit my great aunt, who was well over 100 years old, and living in a nursing home. When I got there she had fallen asleep and I turned to leave.

On the way down the hall I passed several folk in wheelchairs and as is my custom said, "Hi" to them. Nothing more, just look them in the eye and a smile. One old gentleman looked up at me and said, "You know, I was there."

Needless to say, that stopped me in my tracks.

"No," I replied, "I didn't. What was it like?"

I spent over an hour talking to him about life on the border around the turn of the century. It was awsome and wondrous.

The response you provdided (Message 260) was not a direct reply to your original statement. It was a later response to subsequent posts.

"Peshat is what I say and derash is what you say." --Nehama Leibowitz

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	Message 267 by robinrohan, posted 08-24-2006 8:23 AM		robinrohan has not replied

purpledawn

Member (Idle past 3488 days)

Posts: 4453

From: Indiana

Joined: 04-25-2004

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Message 298 of 300 (343489)
08-26-2006 2:23 AM

Reply to: Message 297 by robinrohan
08-26-2006 12:25 AM

Foggy

What you have failed to notice all through these several threads, is that your initial response didn't really evoke negative responses. It was your subsequent responses that brought the negative responses.

"Peshat is what I say and derash is what you say." --Nehama Leibowitz