Is Anyone Listening? by Randall Smith

Years ago, when I was a graduate student, I dated a young woman who was – how to put this delicately? – very decided in her views and not at all reticent about sharing them. She was great: smart as a whip, devotedly orthodox, and delightfully chipper for the most part. But if she was set on giving you a piece of her mind, it was best to pay attention.

One day, when we’d be discussing something for a bit, she said, “You’re not listening.”  I, being young and foolish, replied: “That’s not true.”  I then recounted the entire conversation from its beginning to that point, sometimes repeating back to her the same words she had used.  QED, I thought, quod erat demonstrandum:  thus, it is proven.  I was listening. …