[toosimplee]

I like that conversation style when I see other people apply it, but in a specific situation it's hard for me to say what the main point is. In the Big Butch conversation, it can lead to totally different outcomes if you choose to do something for Butch (instead of "riding the high horse"), check in with Cathy, or focus the conversation on the topic you entered the conversation with.

All are possible paths, all lead to different outcomes that might interest you. How do you know on the spot that the issue you came with is more relevant than the new information you just learned from Butch?

[ChrisMarshallNY]

In my experience, human interaction is always complex. It’s only in sitcoms and Dwayne Johnson movies, where people are 1-dimensional. Everywhere else, people (and situations) are a bit more complex.

This means that I have found “hard and fast rules” to be of limited utility, and I always need to exercise discretion.