I Just Want Some Peace and Quiet!

I really don't think I have become one of those old men on the porch, shouting at neighborhood kids to "get off the lawn" but sometimes I just want some peace and quiet so I can come down from dealing with the pervasive roar of discord and distress of the greater world.

For starters, I have always wanted piece and quiet, even when I was a little kid. Heck, my parents couldn't even get me interested in electric trains because I was evidently afraid of the noise they made.

Kinda crazy, if you think about it.

But it's also kinda crazy what a loud world we have created for ourselves, with every moment filled with some kind of activity or soundtrack.

I remember noticing it early on, when I first moved here from Europe... sitting in a waiting room, awaiting my turn... and I grew very aware that everybody else seemingly had to start up conversations. It seemed so strange to me that that nobody would just sit still and mind their own business.

The same seemed to hold true on the buses I rode when at University. Back in Denmark, people didn't really talk to strangers on public transportation, but in Texas it seemed like not even 30 seconds would have passed before someone wanted to strike up a conversation.

I also noticed how few public spaces seemed to have no sound abatement or any kind of sound insulation. I first noticed it on returning to Copenhagen after six months in Texas... how muted the ambient noise at the airport was, compared to Chicago where I had just left. Huge difference!

It had really not occurred to me that a preference for quiet; for soft-spokenness could be a cultural influence rather than just individual preference. But I suppose it really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise, given that I already had an awareness of Scandinavians as generally soft-spoken.

These days, however, when I speak of a desire for "peace and quiet" it is mostly a need to shut out all the "clutter" of a world that seems to relentlessly bombard us with (mostly useless) information that takes up bandwidth and brain space... but without really adding value to our lives.

I just want to turn it off...

I know a lot of people almost panic if the data stream stops... but I find the silence comfortable; soothing, even.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great remainder of your week!

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2026.09.22 01:44 PDT
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