Sounds like a lot of extra work for one bad month. Most places would just eat the loss and wait it out. Bet your old supplier figured his stuff out after that.

Your uncle's advice shows why those challenges happen. I tried the same thing with "1984" in high school, focusing only on the world-building. The real lesson is in the political warning, which is the entire point. Trying to separate them just proves how powerful the book's core idea really is.

That's awesome to hear @phoenix235. Makes me wonder what exactly flips the switch. Is it just getting past the first ten minutes of quiet, or is it seeing everyone else commit to being there? Like, when my friend actually looked up from the bowl and made a dumb joke instead of checking a notification, it felt different. The whole room relaxed after that. What was the moment you knew it was working?