Riverkilt: Fantastic. Thank you!!!

Jock Scott & Thistledown: While I may agree with you in principle, the practicality of taking such a stance is not quite so straightforward. First of all, we live in a very closed, isolated ex-pat community... One must always think and act diplomatically so as not only to avoid burning bridges, but also to not get tagged with a reputation that would hurt you in such a closed environment.

Secondly, most of my friends would not openly and plainly do something to disrespect me. It's not like they wake up in the morning and say to themselves, "Alrighty then. Today I'm going to p*** off Jim Dunlop," and cross it off their "to do" list... People in general forget themselves and don't consider others in their decisions. If I follow the line of reasoning that you're presenting, I would have to agree with statements such as: "If you loved me enough, you wouldn't __(action)____." And I just don't want to get into that kind of situation. I think that anyone who has ever tried using such an approach with a significant other to stop smoking or drinking or gambling or what-have-you has found out, love (or perceived lack of love) alone will generally not result in a change in behavior.