[HAL smiles as sympathetically as he can. Turns out, it's apparently part of his repertoire of instinctual facial expressions!]

I'm sure that if you were in your own body, things would be very different. But neither of us are used to being organic, and therefore it is necessary for someone more versed in these sorts of things to check in on us. I know it's difficult for you, but I'm sure that it would be much more difficult if there was nobody willing to help you.