Soothing the Savage Beast

As anyone who knows me is aware, I am a big fan of music. I enjoy many kinds, though jazz is my true love, music-wise. Music is inspiring and it can “soothe the savage beast,” as William Congreve said. But what I don’t like is when people force their music on you in situations where you can’t avoid it, such as in stores or restaurants or on buses or trains. Of course I think salespeople, waiters, bus-drivers, and my fellow passengers have the right to listen to music; I just wish that they would do so at a volume that doesn’t disturb everyone else. I also wish that they would have good taste in music, but that seems never to be the case, unfortunately. It can be stressful to try to eat, talk, or shop to the noise of loud, throbbing music, and sometimes I wonder why people don’t think of the customers and try to make their experience as pleasant as possible.

My general feeling is that when out in public (or when at home, obviously), I should try to be considerate of other people. My common-sense rule is to ask myself whether what I am doing can bother or disturb others; it’s true that you can’t always guess that, but it is a helpful guideline.

So, go ahead, soothe your savage beast. Just do it quietly.

--Curly