“I keep trying to get my point across to him but nothing I say seems to penetrate.” (ODAT, 16 September)
‘My point’: I should not be attached to any position I hold.
‘Penetrate’: only the willing can receive.
If someone is willing to receive the point, once will do; no need to ‘keep trying’.
When I find myself ‘keeping trying’, it’s because there is resistance at the receiving end.
Most people are largely uninterested in anything anyone else thinks.
Best to respect rather than attempt to overcome that.