Jack, I just sensed some 'hardness' in my emotional center by your line here.
I was trying to make a joke. Perhaps I should have added a smiley face. I thought about it, but assumed that the context would be enough to show that my line was nothing more than silly.
Where I'm from, the line "great minds think alike" is a witty observation that can be made upon the discovery that more than one person had the same idea. The humorous implication is that the only reason for this is that the idea is so excellent that only the best minds could have figured it out. For two people to have the same idea must show that they are both top-notch thinkers. This leads to a chuckle in a somewhat wry, proud and casually self-deprecating way. It might be an artifact of my upbringing and social circles that doesn't have the same meaning for you. If my use of the idiom led to confusion rather than a chuckle, I apologize for that.
You'd commented on feeling less than confident about making your suggestion to Laura. I simply made the suggestion, not fearing that anyone would say no. I figured that a polite suggestion would probably not get me banned. Therefore, the worst case scenario was that my suggestion would be turned down and the forum would be no worse off than before I came along. It doesn't really seem like a bit of bravery for me. However, hoping it might cheer you up, I put in the quip about how it will be your turn to be brave next. That was also a bit ironic because I don't see my action as particularly brave, therefore there's not actually a reason to suppose you'd owe me a return favor of courage.
That is all I had in mind. I don't feel that what you wrote triggered any program in me. I don't feel that either my suggestion or your response had anything to do with heroism.
I don't know what you hardness in your own emotional center means to you, but I'm at a loss as to how such an uncomfortable sounding experience could have come about from what I wrote. My hope is that explaining my intentions helps bring about softening of whatever feels uncomfortable for you, if that's within my power and responsibility to help you with tonight.
I do appreciate that we have a forum where can investigate such matters and perhaps, both learn how to more efficiently exchange our intentions and meanings.
Nothing in this post is meant humorously or with any hidden meaning or attempt at humor, simply a goal to learn what could help me better communicate without misunderstanding.
