…. insert intro here ….
Fish: Dog, you have fairly good conversational skills. In fact, very good I must say.
Dog: Why, thank you Fish! How come you say that?
Fish: Well just a couple of days ago I was having a conversation with the Crab. You know, Crab who is so frustrated because he doesn’t get to do what he really wanted to do….
Dog: Oh yes, you mean Crab who wanted to become and artist but ended up drawing scenes for the film industry?
Fish: Yes that’s one. Well, the Crab is constantly telling me about some stuff that he watched on YouTube, you know, stuff I really don’t care about.
Dog: I think I know where you heading with this. We have had this conversation so many times. Look, you know Crab is Crab, and Crab will never change!
Fish: No this time it’s enough, final, finito. I have been telling him to stop interrupting me when I’m in the middle of saying something ….
Dog: You mean like this?
Fish: … Indeed. Anyway what was I saying …
Dog: And there in lies the problem. You loss your train of thought when people do that. It is so annoying.
Fish: Thankfully there are others who have enough politeness and patience to wait until one is finished speaking.
Fish (cont): Anyway I’ve been telling him for years not to interrupt. Yes, so once again he interrupted me and once again he apologised.
…. insert a moment for thought here ….
Dog: So that’s ok then, I mean if he said sorry.
Fish: Well no. He has said sorry each and every time and continues doing it. I cannot continually accept his apologies without change. After all, an apology is an acceptance of fault.
Dog: Fault that can be forgiven but that should ideally not occur. Meaning no one has to apologise and no one has to accept that apology.
Fish: And more importantly no one gets emotional hurt nor frustrated by continuously being interrupted in the middle of ones train of thought.
Dog: But what finally cooked the goose?
Fish: Well I was sitting there having a conversation with the Toad. You know the Toad is wise animal and we were philosophising about life and death. I was in the middle of a rather personal story when the Crab showed up.
Dog: I can smell the bacon frying …. go on.
Fish: So the Crab just sits down at our table. Not bothering to ask whether he may join, neither does he even follow the conversation. I got another sentence out and then the Crab simply interjects and begins with one of his YouTube topics.
Dog: Well that’s the Crab, you know that he will always do that.
Fish: I know. And the Toad also switched to talking about YouTube, no respect for what I was talking about. Perhaps it wasn’t interesting for them, but neither was their topic for me.
Fish (cont): So I go on the bench facing the table and begin a conversation with the Oyster.
Dog: She is always a good conversational partner. She is very polite and knowledgeable.
Fish: Indeed! So we were having our conversation when the Crab interrupted that too! Turning around after his ten minute lecture, the Crab interrupts and apologises for interrupting previously and that I can now continue my story.
Dog: So the Crab actually remembered you were in the middle of your story?
Fish: Yes. And with his kind permission, I could now continue that story.
Dog: Wow. Ok, so the frustrated old Crab could one-up you by interrupting your conversation with the Toad, then ignoring you, then having his lecture with the Toad. Crab does not have conversations, he lectures his conversational partners. After he has finished, he turns around to you and apologises, reminds you that you were in the middle of saying something and finally that you may now continue.
Fish: Yes, exactly that. I explained to the Crab that I found it extremely rude what he had done and that, no I wasn’t going to continue. The old Crab was surprised that I didn’t want to continue my story!
Dog: Have you tried talking it over with the Crab?
Fish: Well strangely on the that very day I read an article describing how someone who would constantly interrupt got over that since they understood it to be rude. It described the situation perfectly.
Dog: Did the Crab saying anything about that?
Fish: Well he said he was going to write a response, but apparently there was no more power on his phone.
Dog: That can happen to the best of us!
Fish: True, but on the other he did tell me whose fault it actually was.
Dog: And?
Fish: Well Crab told me that he wasn’t actually to blame rather it was the Toad, it was the Toad that picked up on what he, the Crab, said. So in fact, Toad should have told Crab to be polite.
Dog: Wow. Now that’s an ego! So how is this going to continue? I mean you the Crab for years now, he is a good friend after all.
Fish: Well I thought I’d give him a taste of his own medicine.
Dog: Wait, so you are going to interrupt all the time and ignore what other people say?
Fish: No, I don’t want to join the Crab in the basement of human politeness. No, no, no. I’m simply going to ignore him just like he ignored me.
Dog: Do you think he will understand that?
Fish: Probably not, he’s too frustrated and jealous to consider other peoples feelings.
Dog: But at least that way you’re going the confrontation out of the way.
Fish: Sometimes separation is far better than confrontation.
…. insert outro here ….