Sorry, Juulie, I wasn't trying to speak for you. :)

Thank you for understanding me. Sometimes I feel so... I don't know .... just... unempathized ... *sigh*

No problem - I learned all about empathy from JR - the King of Empathy.

Emperor of Empathy, Sultan of Sympathy, King of Kindliness.

And one big pain in the @ss

But wise! Insightful! ...and actually intelligent once in a while. At least over the last five minutes or so... (see T's at the End of the Game thread)

Someone must've slipped some of Padgett's meds in his dogs' water dish. Give him a few hours and I'm sure he'll be back to his normal, curmudgeonly self.

He'd better. Otherwise, hell's gonna freeze over, and anyone without double pane windows will be having ham for dinner!

I guess I'm agreeing with you. *sigh* I know I'm not crazy.

Respond - to reply or answer in words: to respond briefly to a question.

So if someone doesn't reply or answer and there is no question asked it really seems to take most of the meaning of "respond" away doesn't it? *shrug*
If you take away the response then I guess that wouldn't be responding appropriately to everything. I guess I'm right back to responding to questions and not responding appropriately to everything since we've (or just me) determined that saying nothing isn't responding.

Okay, I"ll change my wording.

To control oneself at all times, and the handle every situation appropriately. Is that better?

Yes.