Deflecting Questions You Do Not Want To Answer

     "Just because someone asks you a question, does not mean that you have to answer it if you do not want to do so."  advised John Thomas Reid.

     "Most people feel obligated to answer even when they do not like either the question or the person asking the question."

     Of course, there are some legal and medical questions that require an answer, but those are not the annoying ones.

     It was in a supermarket that I overheard a woman standing nearby say to another, "I still can't believe what Betty asked me yesterday, I didn't want to tell her, but what could I do?"

     So I told them John's advice and what she could have done.

     1 ~ Do not answer, instead in a pleasant tone ask a simple question of her.  ~ "Why do you ask?"

     This unexpected response usually results in a flustered response of, "er, a, um, well."

  You can quickly follow that by firmly stating, "Tell me, I really want to know." ~ If you do want to know.

     Or if you have no interest in her reasons because what she asked is none of her business but you still want to maintain a relationship with her.
     2 ~ Change the subject quickly.

     Say something like, "I heard a clever riddle that I know you will appreciate, what stays in one corner but can travel around the world?  I know with your love of travel (if she does) you would like this, the answer is ~ a stamp.  Isn't that clever?"  Then ask her about her vacation, a subject most people enjoy describing.
     3 ~ Leave, just simply say 'I must leave now.'  Then do so, no matter what she says.

                                                               

 

     I was in a store when I encountered a woman who had taken one of my adult school courses several years earlier.  After greetings, she said, "May I ask you a question?"

     "Yes" I answered.

     "How old are you?"

     I told her that I affirmed that all was well in her life.

     She asked "Aren't you going to answer my question?"

     Aha, there is now another question that will often distract from the first one.

     I answered, "No."

     "But I just asked you."

     "You asked if you could ask me a question, to which I said yes you could ask me a question.  You did not ask if I would answer the question that you next asked.

     "Well, will you answer my question?"

     "Which one?" I responded.

     "Oh, never mind, nice to see you." she said as she went on her way.

 

 

You Need Not Answer All The Questions

That You Are Asked

I Am Your Brain, Why Are You Sabotaging Me?

     How would you like it if you had important thoughts and ideas to tell, but you were never given an opportunity to get a sentence or even a word out, before you were drowned, by voices and/or music (usually with words) of others?

     Why do you consider what comes from the brains of other people to be superior to me, your very own wonderful Brain?

     Your lack of respect for my multitude of knowledge and talents is difficult to believe.

     How can you know of the music, the meaningful information for others, the poetry and all the other aspects of me, if you always smother me?

     I need times of quietness, not bombardment.  In quiet times, you can ask me to make known to you your many past lives for you have had them and aspects of some carry over into your current life whether you believe it or not.

     You sleep with a radio turned on, the television is set to act as your alarm clock in the morning and share your breakfast time, before turning it off, you put that dreadful, very harmful to me, 'thing' with the electromagnetic fields, close to me  on one of your ears so that I will not have even a second of time alone with you.

     And so it continues all day, in your car or public transportation, people talking, but never, ever any us-time.

     If you keep insulting me, I will start retreating within, some will term it "memory loss," but there is nothing wrong with my memory, it is the years of being unwanted except for selected duties.

     Soon I will hibernate deep within myself
         where no one will ever be able to find me again ~ but know
              that I, your Brain, tried,
                                  I really tried ~
                                         but you never listened,
                                                           you never ever
                                                                            listened.