Shush!
This article has been on my mind a lot since I read it last week. In the modern world, there are just not enough places for quiet and reflection. We've grown too enamored of clamor and noise. I sometimes wonder if that's because we're truly afraid to hear ourselves think. Maybe we won't like what we find.
While I've never been a fan of flying, one of the consolations of traveling by air was having long stretches of time to read or simply sit and people watch. Now, most airports have televisions in them tuned to the 24-hour news cycle, so I'm forced to confront misery. The volume is often too loud for me to focus on anything else. It just makes a miserable experience that much more miserable.
I'm fortunate that I work in a library. In fact, I work at the quietest library on campus. The law library has its own built-in hushers, i.e., law students who are under a lot of stress. They do not tolerate noise; they are not forgiving. Thus, I am not a shushing librarian. I have done it on a couple of occasions, but I don't like doing it. The self-regulation is good.
When I leave work, though, that quiet is really hard to find elsewhere. I keep a relatively quiet living space, but there's not much quiet anywhere else. If I had a big family or a different living arrangement, my blessed quiet might be impossible to find. Hence, the library that the article speaks of. I understand and appreciate.
Sssshhhhhhh!
While I've never been a fan of flying, one of the consolations of traveling by air was having long stretches of time to read or simply sit and people watch. Now, most airports have televisions in them tuned to the 24-hour news cycle, so I'm forced to confront misery. The volume is often too loud for me to focus on anything else. It just makes a miserable experience that much more miserable.
I'm fortunate that I work in a library. In fact, I work at the quietest library on campus. The law library has its own built-in hushers, i.e., law students who are under a lot of stress. They do not tolerate noise; they are not forgiving. Thus, I am not a shushing librarian. I have done it on a couple of occasions, but I don't like doing it. The self-regulation is good.
When I leave work, though, that quiet is really hard to find elsewhere. I keep a relatively quiet living space, but there's not much quiet anywhere else. If I had a big family or a different living arrangement, my blessed quiet might be impossible to find. Hence, the library that the article speaks of. I understand and appreciate.
Sssshhhhhhh!