R wrote:
> I think you're correct about one thing: Serene wisdom /*is*/ an
> oxymoron.
>
*ahem* - that was /my/ line.
I think I have some difficulty distinguishing online between good
humour/manners and ingratiation, against which I grits my teeth;
similarly, this is a context in which kindly-meant carping can be
absolutely paranoia-inducing (and in which some real barracking does
also go on, and I say this wearing my "aggressive perp" hat rather than
my "bruised victim" hat for the moment). I think the ominous grinding
sound R may be hearing is the sound of teeth being gritted, rather than
axes sharpened. Speaking for myself, I have nothing against the good Mr
Lama ("Call me Dalai, Dave" - "That's Mr Dave to you, Mr Lama"), but the
suspicion has long been abroad that a lot of those westerners for whom
he is a sort of totemic figure are the most unconscionable wallies, and
in insecure persons like myself the fear of wallydom-by-association gets
the grit reflex going long before rational intercourse can commence.
Maybe we should all back out of the room and come in again - R, you can
borrow my trenchcoat if you like...
Dom
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