18`THE TROUBLE WITH "X"...'I SUPPOSE IMAY ASSUME THAT SEVEN OUT OF TEN OF THOSE who read these lines are in some kind of
18
`THE TROUBLE WITH "X"...'
I SUPPOSE I MAY ASSUME THAT SEVEN OUT OF TEN OF THOSE who read these lines are in some kind of difficulty about some other human being. Either at work or at home, either the people who employ you or those whom you employ, either those who share your house or those whose house you share, either your in-laws or parents or children, your wife or your husband, are making life harder for you than it need be even in these days. It is to be hoped that we do not often mention these difficulties (especially the domestic ones) to outsiders. But sometimes we do. An outside friend asks us why we are looking so glum, and the truth comes out.On such occasions the outside friend usually says, `But why don't you tell them? Why don't you go to your wife (or husband, or father, or daughter, or boss, or landlady, or lodger) and have it all out? People are usually reasonable. All you've got to do is to make them see things in the right light. Explain it to them in a reasonable, quiet, friendly way.' And we, whatever we say outwardly, think sadly to ourselves, `He doesn't know "X." ' We do. We know how utterly hopeless it is to make `X' see reason. Either we've tried it over and over again - tried it till we are sick of trying it - or else we've never tried it because we saw from the beginning how useless it would be. We know that if we attempt to `have it all out with "X" ' there will either be a `scene,' or else `X' will stare at us in blank amazement and say `I don't know what on earth you're talking about'; or else (which is perhaps worst of all) `X' will quite agree with us and promise to turn over a new leaf and put everything on a new footing - and then, twenty-four hours later, will be exactly the same as `X' has always been.