[Gary Wassner]

Comments? Opinions?

[Hereford Eye]

Both. The one who holds on lacks flexibility to change; the one who pulls lacks sensitivity to custom. Both want it their way.

[Gary Wassner]

Or, the one who holds on is drowning and the one who pulls is a murderer.

Same words, such different meanings.

[JRMurdock]

Such a simple statement with a profoundness unrivaled.

My opinion, the one who holds on. Some things must be let go and one must determine when that time is. If someone is pulling in an attempt to pull that person along and the holder-on is unwilling to let go...snap.

But this is all dependant on the situation. Some things are worth holding on to. Change is good, but not always benifical. Forcing change where none is needed can cause devistating effects. ex. Russia trying to become a capatilist society over night. But that was more of a shove off a cliff than pulling on a string.

[Gary Wassner]

Life is change. Isn't that so, by definition? Time stops for no one.

But there is another side to this statement that you both overlooked: Breaking the thread might be the best possible thing to do.

[JRMurdock]

Breaking the thread might be the best possible thing to do.

This is the difficulty in your question in the fact that it is subjective. Each side could be argued in general terms, but until specifics are defined, you cannot make a clear call either way as to which would be best. Even should both sides be described in great detail, you could still end up with a subjective decision to make. Both good or both bad, but you must choose.

[Erebus]

Perhaps the thread's creator should also take some responsibility...was it strong enough to start with, or conversely, was it too strong?

[Joe Bloggs]

The thread breaks because it's tensile strength can no longer resist the resultant force applied to it.
No point in trying to blame anyone for it (other than the manufacturer of the thread).

[Hereford Eye]

Oh, good! I was concerned there for a minute we were going to put all the lawyers out of business. At least the manufacturer can be held accountable for the improper use consumers made of its product. Now, they can put a warning label on the package that this thread is designed to tighten your shoes but if you persist in dangling by this thread over the rim of the Grand Canyon, it could be dangerous to your health.

We are so taken with the idea of cause-and-effect, we must assign blame (cause) to everything. When it rains on the days weatherforecasters see only the probability of sunshine, we do not want to hear about the foundations of chaos theory; we want to sue the weather forecaster.

The situation of the thread of is analogous. We must bring a bias to the problem of the thread because the wording of the question expects blame to be assigned as if snapping the thread was either good or evil. If a moutain lion eats the person wandering the mountain path on their own, is the moutain lion evil? Was the person responsible for the mountain lion's act by putting ireesistibloe temptation in its path so that the person is evil? Was it the devil's fault? Or is it god's fault because she made mountain lions aggressive and hungry? Or is it a blameless situation?

[Gary Wassner]

Brilliant answers, all of them! What's so interesting about them, and this is partially why I posed the question to begin with, is how differently each person views the situation.

Erebus, I particularly like the double entendre in your response. It was so subtle, but also so provocative. I do hope you meant it to be read that way? How could it have been too strong? And judging from the responses, it was certainly strong enough.

So Maus, define your terms. Everything needs defining. Some words are clear and some meanings are clear, at least we think they are, until we dig a little deeper into them. What kind of decision is not subjective anyway? Despite the greatest efforts to be objective, one can never separate their perception and analysis from who they are and where they've been.

Joe - Responsiblity is the issue! Do you write in the passive voice as well?

Hereford - Do you think the thread just wore out by itself? Is anything in this world so detached from all else that it is not affected by what is happening around it?

I am surprised that no one said that holding on is just another way of pulling without the guilt.