Resounding Echoes
A piece of unfinished thinking
Dear Fellow,
Yesterday I was caught in my process—cut in my musing on this despatch by a notification from my phone. I got a glimpse of the content before the notification went off. It was a letter from my friend Kenny. Kenny’s letter was another reply to a letter I wrote to him in November 2021. In the letter, he reminded me of a moment we are both looking forward to as described in my letter from two years ago.
Last month, my brother offended me. Less than an hour later, he needed a favour from me. I was still in that space where you were dealing with your anger and didn’t want to talk to your offender yet. You want some time to deal with your emotions before it gets the best of you. He figured I’d be leaving the house in less than an hour, so he’d rather risk asking for the favour while I was not ready to speak than let go of the only opportunity he had.
He spoke, uncertain and fearful. He wasn’t sure I had listened, so he persisted in getting my attention. He called my name for some time. Unsuccessful, he spoke as if to someone else in the room. Next, he called my sister by name and told her what he was saying to me. He moved within close range and persisted in asking at every point, so long as he didn’t get a response from me. I wasn’t ready to respond to him—plus, my silence was a deliberate attempt to show my displeasure.
His last tactic was to write a note. He placed it in a piece of equipment I left the house with that day. He placed it in such a way that I wouldn’t miss it. And I didn’t. The note defused my anger. He didn’t write an apology. The note was just a written version of his verbal request. Having tried every tactic possible, he tried yet another. And it worked. How so? I gave in to his demand. I did what he wanted.
He must have learned such persistence from my father. On more than one occasion, my father would pass a message (especially about politics) even when he didn’t get the best of our attention. Once, he said he’d keep talking in moments like that hoping the message would stick even if not immediately. To this day, I have moments in my reasoning that are not entirely new to me—moments where an opinion is a hybrid of information passed on from my father.
Good Fellow, three different instances are laid before you. It seems there is a connection between them. Do you see it? Please help me if you did.
What do you make of these stories? What do you see?
Kindly share your discovery in the comments. I’d appreciate it.
Thank you.
Your LetterMan,
Tongjal, W. N.
I believe the connection there is communication. Effective communication.
The tactics your brother employed were interesting and somewhat comical. I do admire his persistence tho, even when it might've been uncomfortable for him, he persevered and persisted till he emerged a victor, till he was able to communicate to you what he needed to.
His persistence caused a resolution, it defused your anger and made you grant his request.
Your Father's persistence in communication, even when your full attention was not guaranteed was the water it needed to grow and birth the exotic fruits of 'the moments where your opinion is a hybrid of information passed down from him'.
And the correspondence between you and your friend is beautiful, i'm quite envious. ( yes i'm aware i shot myself in the foot with that statement, lol. I still owe you a letter and I will surely deliver)
Clearly, from your situation with your brother, it is obvious we all have that point which makes us tick, melt, give in. It is a beautiful thing to see and read his persistence to not just get your attention, but proving in the process that He knew you. He mayn't have read any of your writings, yet(I'd like to believe he's still a child or teenager), but clearly he knows enough to believe that literature has stolen all of your heart, so what better way to gain an audience than using the very thing that audience cannot resist, in your case, a handwritten note/letter.
Family is beautiful, both biological and relational. It's a beautiful thing to know that people SEE you, and KNOW you, so much that even in their unconsciousness is embedded a piece of your nature... And they use it to their advantage, lol, like your brother in this case.
Kenny sounds like a interesting fellow too, I'd like to meet him sometime, maybe we also could write letters, hehe..
Your dad already seems to me like a very intelligent person. No doubt you and your brother got those genes from him.
This is fun! Writing.. thank you, TJ.