a year of silence

2/17/14

  I was behind a car at a stop light recently, when in spite of the signal turning green, the car in front of me remained stationary. Wishing to remain true to my vow of silence, i refrained from using my horn to get things moving. A little time passed and a driver behind me soon became nearly apoplectic, repeatedly sounding his horn, and yelling out his window. The driver in front of me proceeded to move, while simultaneously displaying his middle finger and yelling back at the angry person behind me. When the road eventually split into two lanes, the angry driver caught up to the finger waver and a heated exchange of expletives then ensued at every intersection for another mile or two.
   Apparently, from their quickly reached subjective viewpoints, the other person was perceived to be an inconsiderate jackwagon who needed his face caved in as a lesson in proper driving etiquette. But perhaps the reality of the situation was entirely different. Maybe the person behind me was late for work and his tyrannical boss was going to possibly fire him for it. Maybe the person in front of me was on the phone engrossed in getting directions to the hospital his wife was just checked into, and hadn't noticed the light changing. These explanations may be far fetched, but something like them may be responsible for these drivers' initial behavior at the light. Instead of retaining a little quiet composure and considering another person's context, these people went with a quick subjective judgment.
  I used to be a finger giving horn monger, and i know that this kind of behavior is counter productive and rarely makes you feel any better. You might think it's a great way to vent some frustration, but it only exacerbates it. It goes without saying, it has no positive teaching effect on the recipient. Negative reinforcement rarely works with human beings, especially in traffic. I am unaware of any driver who reached an epiphany and changed their evil ways after someone flipped them off on the road. It all seems to be just pointless noise.


2/18/14

  At the risk of becoming a wellspring of bad Chi, i'm afraid i have no appreciation for wind chimes. Listening to the sound of a breeze wafting through dry leaves or blowing hard enough to rattle the windows is one of my greatest pleasures in life. I find its tidal flow very soothing and am always in awe of its potential strength. Wind chimes seem to be an an unneeded frosting on an already perfect cake.
  The use of wind chimes dates back many centuries and countless people enjoy and revere their use. They hold an important place as a spiritual tool for many, and i intend no disrespect.
  Some people use them as a kind of white noise to block out more obtrusive sounds. I have always thought the idea of using noise to block out noise, to be an interesting paradox.