3
Listen, listen, listen
3.1 An end to conversational narcissism
It’s not all about you
This is perhaps the most important section in the book.
Most people view conversation as an opportunity to talk about themselves. I had a friend who I used to see regularly and she spent the whole time telling me of her latest woes. I put up with it until once when I was going through a difficult period myself. In the space of a month, I left my job, my father died, I broke up with my girlfriend and then found out she was pregnant. When my talkative friend heard this, she said, ‘Oh wow, we have to meet up and talk’.
What she meant was, we have to meet up and talk about her. As we sat down at the café, I said ‘How’s things?’ in an off-hand way, as you do, ...
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