Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Cacaphony & Waiting (previous Monday's Muse)



Singer, Sonu Nigam tweeted about being forced to wake up due to the disturbance caused by the loudspeaker blaring out calls for prayers. Although, he mentioned a specific instance in his locality, he added that he was against all cacophony that violated the peace as well as the legal restrictions.

The virtual space turned cacophonic. Some accused him of insensitivity and selective prejudice. Some agreed with his basic assertion against use of loudspeakers in public space. Some found it yet another excuse to play polarising posturing by diverting the discussion.

It is pertinent to note that cacophony refers to ‘loud, confused, and usually inharmonious sound’. And the response (to a valid request to observe basic civic sense) was selective in its indignation. So often we find that persons, who use loud jarring ringtones, are irritated by the ones used by their neighbours.

It was obvious that we find our own cacophony as a necessity while that by others seems a nuisance. If we all lower our own volume of sound, the world will be a better place. This should be followed by all occupants in public space. Our right to be heard cannot be allowed to deafen others by excessive decibels.

Cacophony is the same, whether thine or mine
Lower volume in public spaces is truly divine!

~ Pravin Sabnis


Also MONDAY 17 APRIL 2017 which by mistake was not posted here

WAITING

Last Monday, my smart phone went silent as the battery had to be replaced. It took me five days and four long visits to the service centre to get my phone back into action. The predicament kept me off the whatsapp platform and gave me more time to observe life at the service station.

Most customers would be agitated over not getting fast service. While some customers had complains that they were kept waiting endlessly, the service personnel kept explaining that they had connectivity issues which affected their ability to close the need. But most customers were averse to waiting.

Interestingly, waiting is a two way process. When I was waiting to get back my phone, the persons at the reception desk and the repair desk, too were waiting on me. As a noun, ‘waiting’ refers to a period of pause, interval, or delay. But as an adjective it refers to those serving or being in attendance. And, we must have respect for those who wait on us!

The tolerance for waiting is a fast diminishing trait. Everyone seems to be in a tearing hurry. We end up hurling indignation at the ones who serve us. It is pertinent to note that we may have heard similar words from those kept waiting by us. When we ‘wait’ due to delay, we must have empathy for the ones who ‘wait’ on us.

Avoid opting for trigger happy fighting...
Empathy empowers tolerance for waiting!


~ Pravin Sabnis

No comments: