Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: An apology
Robin--- As always---thank you, your talent for predicting the future continues to amaze. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuvPpzPiIec RESPONSE: You noticed, Bob, that the "Toronto Kid" swallowed his own spittlein contrast to the Cincinnati Kid who spewed forth. That certainly illustrates the difference between us Canadians and you Americans: we are diffident and self-effacing; you bold and brave Americans don't [and shouldn't] apologize for your conquering ways. The future was easy to predict, once I felt the utterly unfeigned sincerity of your apologyas it played inside the universe, and the more localized universe of FFL That apology to Judy is the kind of act of humility and sacrifice of amour propre that would stand up at one's deathas the necessary act of final contrition. I felt a shock go through me when I read your post to Judy. Why the shock? Because it startled and arrested me with its violent honesty and beauty. You either get it or you don't get it. ________________________________ > From: maskedzebra <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 10:30:38 PM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: An apology > > > > Dear Bob Price, > > There will be (as evidenced already) persons at FFL who will not like this > apology. Not because of the way you have expressed yourself, but because of > to whom it is addressed. Now I happen to appreciate the clarity and > impartiality in most of what Judy writes; and certainly there is no one here > on FFL who, in some formal sense at least, is a better writer than she is. > > But what I wish to draw attention to is what this post reveals about the > person that you are. I doubt there are very many readers and posters at FFL > who can imagine themselves under any circumstance writing with this kind of > humility, sincerity, and intelligenceâ"that is, inside the context of > expiating for some self-judged wrong against another person. Did I know > nothing about you; did I know nothing about the person to whom you are > speaking, I would nevertheless admireâ"even loveâ"the person who was > capable of exhibiting such bright and intelligent feeling. What strikes me > most in this post is the disarming boldness and coherence with which you make > your appeal. There is not a touch of sentimentality or self-confusion here. I > think it quite an extraordinary proof of the depth of personality and powers > of self-command that you possess. > > I should have anticipated the response, which instead of catching at what I > am trying to describe, focuses on the object of your apology. Even the fact > of how you come across hereâ"in the way in which I have interpreted > youâ"says something positive about Judy. Because had it not been > appropriateâ"or somehow excessiveâ"for you to write in this way to > herâ"then your post would have suffered from its very ambition: namely to do > justice to another human being. > > That Judy could bring this out from within you, is a measure of who she is as > a person. But what imperially forces me to speak here is my sense of who the > person must be who was capable of putting themselves in the position you have > and then finding the grace to write what cannot be misunderstood, what seems > to almost perfectly fulfil its very real intention. > > Judy, > > I want to apologize for my behavior and some posts I made---accusing you of > censorship; I was full of s*it and you were right to push back and correct > me. I > have no evidence to support such an accusation and you obviously don't behave > that way. I also apologize for taking way too long to send this post, and hope > it still qualifies as: "better late than never". I also want to thank the > three > "R's", for helping me find my better angel; Rory (reading), Robin (riting) and > Ravi (rithmatic). As you may have guessed; my head is populated by at least > two > angels; a very dark troll-like one (about the size of a sumo wrestler) who > lives, rent free, in my left hemisphere----he's very noisy and get's most of > my > airtime; in my right hemisphere, another angel lives, she's translucent, about > the size of a hummingbird---refracts light beautifully, grows gardenias, and > quietly warns me---just before I attempt to be a dickhead; she does it in such > an subtle way, its easy > to ignore her, and I end up making a fool of myself. Every time I do this the > Sumo gains about 20 lbs (you can imagine, how big he is). It normally takes > friends like the three "R's' before I pay any attention to what she > whispered---that might have saved me. In other words---I'm sorry. > > Unless you've heard this one already; I thought you might enjoy something the > wife (always a fan of yours) said to me yesterday: > > "You're entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts". > > It may be your gentleness, with our resident angels; I hope you don't mind me > saying; lately, you've reminded me of Karen: > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb6svoM3UWE > > > Â >
