> what seems unnecessary to you is necessary for some other reason you’re not aware of. In this case this was more-or-less true. As my counterpart in HR explai

> what seems unnecessary to you is necessary for some other reason you’re not aware of. In this case this was more-or-less true. As my counterpart in HR explained, there are federal government rules mandating this bit of bureaucracy. Of course, one can presumably get away with ignoring them... but, as it turns out, the rules weren't something she made up. > Is there a path where you didn’t get your way but you also didn’t get upset? And where you didn’t upset anyone else? If her response was "Sorry, I realize this is annoying, but [explanation]", then certainly." Given the tone of her response, then in principle still yes, but it seems to require a lot of mental fortitude. Kind of like how a skilled boxer can take a punch in the ring and remain basically unfazed.