Do we ever learn?
Yes, but for better or for worse, we are ever forgetful.
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
• Yes, but sometimes not enough.
Craig Sergeant, Nashville, Tennessee, US
• We will (we always do), but they won’t (they never have).
Peter Rosier, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
• Definitely, and until we die. Now well into retirement, I am on a musical quest and will soon be attempting Grade 7 piano.
Ursula Nixon, Bodalla, NSW, Australia
• Only if we realise that there is always more to learn.
Avril Taylor, Dundas, Ontario, Canada
• Only when we learn to unlearn.
Stewart Devitt, Auckland, New Zealand
• Often only once we’ve been taught a lesson.
Sunil Bajaria, London, UK
• Humans fight fewer wars and there are fewer dictators than ever before, so the answer is yes, but very slowly.
David Isaacs, Sydney, Australia
Eyebrows can do the job
Is it possible to have meaningful conversations without asking questions?
No, especially if the person you’re conversing with is not talking.
Richard Orlando, Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• After 32 years, my wife and I are adept at following the seemingly random meandering of our respective trains of thought. Our conversations are peppered with questions: How was your day? What do you make of this? And could you kindly provide a reality check? And while a casual observer may regard this as social detritus, I’ve come to appreciate how they represent the lubricant that keeps the conversation flowing, as well as respect and affection.
So I have to answer your question in the negative; I can’t wait until my wife gets home to ask her what she thinks.
Atul Sharma, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• I’m not sure. Do you want to talk about it?
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia
• Oftimes eyebrows suffice for both Q&A.
R M Fransson, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, US
• Only with one’s self.
R De Braganza, Kilifi, Kenya
A second ice-cream cone
What is the best ‘freebie’ you have ever been given?
I was four or five, with an ice-cream. After one or two licks, the ice-cream splashed to the ground. I cried. The ice cream lady consoled me and gave me a free ice-cream. I finished that one.
Reiner Jaakson, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
• When I filled up the car and the till registered zero.
Mike Buky, Rocky Cape, Tasmania, Australia
• A glass of salted water – as my legs buckled under the desert heat.
David Tucker, Halle, Germany
There’s no place like home
Which planet would you choose to live on if you had the choice?
How on Earth would I know?
John R Gould, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Conversation is overrated
Which famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Marcel Marceau – so I could concentrate on the food.
Gerald Garnett, Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada
Any answers?
If we knew everything about each other, would we like each other more or less?
Jake Sigg, San Francisco, California, US
If it’s not rocket science, what is it?
John Honig, Sydney, Australia
• Send answers and more questions to weekly.nandq@theguardian.com
