Suspension of disbelief: the audience tacitly agrees to provisionally suspend judgment …

My current attempt to suspend disbelief comes in response to this unsolicited note from a friend who noticed my changed LinkedIn status:

Subject: Bummer!

You got laid off? I know you are so good at what you do, but you were certainly in the wrong industry at the wrong time, huh? 🙁

So sorry.

I hereby suspend any judgment as to the value of this message or its author!

Of course, the alternative to such suspension – actually sending my response that is currently saved in my “drafts” folder – may not really build bridges anyway….

Subject: Bummer back!

Hey, thanks for the note. Guess NOBODY’S safe these days: I just read that (your industry) is due to shrink by a gazillion percent this next quarter. But I’m sure you’ll recoup at some point. Hope you don’t lose your shirt in the meantime!