Mole
Permabanned
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2008
- Messages
- 20,284
I was surprised to find that the father of the nice Japanese girl in my class spoke to her in an abusive, disrespectful and bad way.
And I was even more surprised to discover that she always spoke to her father with respect, even when he spoke badly to her.
So over coffee in the Refectory one day I broached the matter to her. I asked her, quite simply, why she spoke so respectfully to her father when he spoke so disrespectfully to her?
And without pausing, she said she was practising. She was practising speaking with respect to her father for the time she would meet a man she did respect.
And of course her answer earned my respect.
But I didn't know whether she was speaking to me out of respect or whether she was just practising.
So when you address me here, are you speaking to me out of respect, or are you just practising for the time you meet someone you do respect?
And I was even more surprised to discover that she always spoke to her father with respect, even when he spoke badly to her.
So over coffee in the Refectory one day I broached the matter to her. I asked her, quite simply, why she spoke so respectfully to her father when he spoke so disrespectfully to her?
And without pausing, she said she was practising. She was practising speaking with respect to her father for the time she would meet a man she did respect.
And of course her answer earned my respect.
But I didn't know whether she was speaking to me out of respect or whether she was just practising.
So when you address me here, are you speaking to me out of respect, or are you just practising for the time you meet someone you do respect?