A TALE WITHOUT TAIL

Two good friends Mike and Ejiro usually go to a bar every Friday after close of work, and spend the rest of their evening having a good time.

One Friday at the bar, they both started a heated argument about which amongst beer and stout foams more when poured into a glass cup. The argument was so intense and interesting that most people at the bar joined in.

There was so much to learn, about differences in how beer and stout are brewed, bottled, stored, and transported and so on.

It went on and on till everyone had had their say. Experiments were even carried out, but there was no definite conclusion on the results as the house was greatly divided; while some people argued that it depends mostly on who’s pouring.

As the night got older, people quietly went home, feeling worn out but happy, having had a great moment with friends and strangers alike.

Next Friday, the bar was full again and some guys from last week were there.

To everyone's surprise, shortly after the two friends walked in, Ejiro started taking note of every beer and stout being poured into people's glasses, and each time, he would point out, not just to Mike, but to anyone that would listen: "see, I told you guys, the difference is clear, beer foams more than stout."

Some of the guys who were there the previous Friday were not so much interested, they've seen this movie before. But some new guys got caught in the web as another round of arguments ensued again.

It became boring for some of the old guys, so much so that they wanted to leave, but this is their favorite bar, where they come every Friday night, so they endured and drank in silence, the weekend was beginning to look long and boring for them.

Again this time, there was no conclusion, as it is really a difficult topic to exhaust, but Ejiro wasn't satisfied. He couldn't understand why people could not see he was right, even when the evidence was so glaring.

The next Friday, everyone at the bar was shocked when as the bar man was pouring stout in a glass, Ejiro pulled out a tape from his pocket...

He wanted to prove a point, but nobody was interested anymore, he took his measurements anyway, declaring to whomever that would listen that he was right, and all those who opposed his point of view were wrong all along, but nobody paid him any mind.

Every now and then someone will shout at him to stop disturbing the peace at the bar, but in response he'll make a rant about freedom of speech and expression.

His conversation with Mike had become stale and almost nonexistent, because they can't exchange a few words before Ejiro will point at someone's glass and say, "can you see that one over there, isn't it the way I told you?"

That night when Ejiro got to his house, he felt so restless that he had to narrate the whole story to his wife. He couldn’t figure out why his friends refused to acknowledge that he was right, even when it was evidently clear. In response the wife said to him: “During an argument, it is good to be right, but what is more important is to have someone to argue with next time. Nobody would want to engage you if they feel you cannot let go except you win. In the end, it’s more about knowledge sharing and enjoying the company of friend. Let it go, there’ll be other topics to discuss next time with your friends, if you don’t drive them away with boredom”.

ThomasAquinas.