On a hot Sunday afternoon several summers ago, the children and I sat at Toppings Yogurt. Toppings is a staple in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, itself the heart of Orthodox Jewish life in Los Angeles.
Can we really know what motivated that man to turn around? If a Christian pastor did it, would you have seen it as snobbish - a sign of your most detested emotion, disgust? Personally, when I read about your billionaire friend who didn’t buy coffee for you - and you assumed it was to protect your dignity - I was angry (for you!). By all means, he should have paid. You wrote something like, “I could tell he was trying to consider whether he should offer to pay.” But we do not really know what motivates others. Could be the same reason the mega rich often refuse to tip.
I should have been clearer in my own language -- there was something very definite but subtle about this father's pivot.
And the key for anyone in that situation isn't his faith, it's whether he can honor his faith without upsetting or embarrassing anyone else. He did this exceptionally well. But I suppose it could all have been an issue of timing and he chose that moment to turn. We'll obviously never know!
Can we really know what motivated that man to turn around? If a Christian pastor did it, would you have seen it as snobbish - a sign of your most detested emotion, disgust? Personally, when I read about your billionaire friend who didn’t buy coffee for you - and you assumed it was to protect your dignity - I was angry (for you!). By all means, he should have paid. You wrote something like, “I could tell he was trying to consider whether he should offer to pay.” But we do not really know what motivates others. Could be the same reason the mega rich often refuse to tip.
I should have been clearer in my own language -- there was something very definite but subtle about this father's pivot.
And the key for anyone in that situation isn't his faith, it's whether he can honor his faith without upsetting or embarrassing anyone else. He did this exceptionally well. But I suppose it could all have been an issue of timing and he chose that moment to turn. We'll obviously never know!