From Roy Sablosky
Ian Stewart’s description of knots and anti-knots puts me in mind of a certain class of difficult conversation, where one feels that if meaningful ommunication is ever to take place between me and another, I will first have to untangle a web of misunderstandings with which the other person is festooned (27 September, p 29).
In general, these conversations are fruitless for both parties. A better approach might be to confess at the beginning: “I’m sorry, there is no knot I can tie at my end of the rope, that will undo the one you have tied at your end.”
Washington DC, US
