Coasters

[wantonhalo]

This morning, I got into an argument with my mom about coasters. I was asked to put a coaster below my bottle as I used it. While I saw the utility of this, I wanted to make a larger point by not immediately grabbing the coaster. I explained that it is not too important to use a coaster, so you (Mom) shouldn't worry about it too much. This of

Comments

[nigelbo]

This caught me a little off guard... I think that your position here, in a nutshell, is quite similar to what I've said in the past about the insignificance of one little mistake in a game of scrabble. While certain players like to point out one tiny mistake and make it into a conclusion about the greater abilities of the player who made the 'mistake', I have long held that those little mistakes are almost meaningless in the big picture; it's the BULK of a player's game that much more accurately defines their abilities, not the once-in-a-while mistakes that they make. This is even MORE relevant in a game when the outcome is pretty much decided already.

I like the point you touch on though- being 'taught' when you didn't ask to be 'taught', or you don't consider yourself in need of that type of 'education', can be annoying or offensive.

[gijoel666]

The issue to Mom was not really one of imparting knowledge in this case, merely of training unconscious consideration. While she may have erred in labeling it teaching, you didn't really need to be offended by the triviality of it -- being aware of little things that affect others and getting to think about the really big things that affect you don't have to be mutually exclusive. Not letting Mom's furniture become defaced to the point that she might spend any snippet of her time erasing the defacement does not have to distract you from your very big thoughts if you simply make it a habit.