Subject: Re: o/t, rational walk, since you are no longer
extending this situation to a general life principle, with rare exceptions, it's never a good idea to make a grand "I am burning this bridge" announcement.
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there is nothing to be gained by a public announcement.

Baybrooke, logically and unemotionally you of course are right. But I think there is a psychological factor behind such that is easily overlooked, the subconscious(!) motivation for the public announcement: If one is not that sure whether to really do X or not, deep down has doubts, it's a strategy to get over any such doubts and force oneself to do what one announced. This removes any cognitive dissonance, replaces doubts by conviction, and this way fulfills a (psychological) purpose.