The One with the High Decibel Aversion

Aside from having an eye for beauty, I happen to be gifted with an ear for beauty as well. More specifically, I have a sensitive ear for tunes, rhythms, harmonies, melodies and all sorts of sounds. This gift totally lends itself quite easily to my interest and passion for singing and playing music, among other things.

However, the downside to this sensitivity to sound is the accompanying sensitivity to the volume of said sounds. It could be the random blaring of vehicle horns; the boisterous prattling of inconsiderate people; or the completely avoidable banging of tables and chairs by some random fast-food service crew who seems to lack much needed training in proper in-store decorum. Unwanted noise annoys me.

I somehow let this truth slip out on my Facebook account when I finished the prompt "My favorite sound is..." with "...silence!"

I don't mind people having their conversations clamorous and incessant. They're entitled to do that. What an-noise me (see what I did there?) is their inability (or unwillingness) to (a) consider others who do not appreciate the decibel levels of the sounds they are making, and (b) consider the propriety of their actions in relation to the location wherein said action is being done (e.g. having boisterous conversations in an office space where the default decorum should be at least moderately quite).

Condescension is a word that frequently comes to mind whenever deafening situations (like the aforementioned) arise.

The ones, like me, who prefer silence (or at least a modicum of it) can consider the others who love to express themselves rather thunderously, and give way to their modus operandi. Nevertheless, CONDESCENSION NEEDS TO GO BOTH WAYS.

The ones who prefer to go perpetually stentorian, SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER OTHERS who do not relish having their moments of silence broken by brassy and audacious vocal projections. One does not have to be loud all the time, you know. And, as the wisdom of the Bible puts it, there is a time and place for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

I hope we would all be more considerate of one another.

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Words have great power. They can make or break people and circumstances. We definitely need to be careful of what we say.

But equally important, I believe, is the impact we make with the decibel levels of the words we speak. The intonation, inflection, and intensity of our voice -- like our choice of words -- can be soothing when used at the right time, at the right place and in the right way; but can conversely be an annoyance when we disregard how our vocal volume affects others.

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Let those who have ears be able to hear!