To Be or Not To Be

A little kingdom I possess,
Where thoughts and feelings dwell;
And very hard the task I find
Of governing it well.
~ Louisa May Alcott

...that more or less describes my situation!

~A Wise Man Said~

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
~ Aristotle

Thursday, July 14, 2005
 

Was reading a short article 'A Telephonic Conversation' by Mark Twain. The concluding words:
"A man delivers a single brutal "Good-bye," and that is the end of it. Not so with the gentle sex - I say it in their praise; they cannot abide abruptness."

I must say I agree!

I usually get this feeling of "incompleteness" if I cannot end a telephonic conversation (for that matter any communication!) in, what shall I say, a "proper good-bye", and a proper good-bye doesn't just consist of saying a "good-bye", but few more words and sentences with it and after it, that prolong and temper the good-bye. I find that most women share this delicateness when it comes to a good-bye and hence a good-bye between two women can last quite long, considering both have as much to say, after the actual good-bye has been said.

This is well as it is, but when a man and a woman have to say a good-bye and the poor man not aware of a woman's sensitivities in this matter...well...

The woman says a good-bye, and is just warming up to say more on those lines, when she is shocked to note the line is gone dead. There is no one at the other end. The man, having said a good bye and assuming the conversation over, has hung up, the beast! The woman is naturally hurt and displeased with the man for parting without so much as a "proper goodbye", and when next comes upon this unsuspecting male, is ready to burst, but holds her peace, and at the first opportunity of confrontation, tells him of his wrong-doing. The man does not 'get it', but next time you might hear him ask hesitatingly after one of those good-byes, "May I keep the phone now?"

Sometimes I do wonder if men are from Mars and women from Venus!