Assignment 8 — Theodore

Fears: Edges (not heights), not turning in homework on time, tornadoes (but not hurricanes or lightning)

Annoyances: Roller coasters (too loud), people whose sole method of communication is by cursing

Accomplishments: Reading children’s books in French, surviving these interesting times

Confusion: Irrationalism, Why do dozens of programming languages exist?

Sorrows: Wasting time, lack of good books

Dreams: Writing a book (I will never have the time), catching up with old friends

Idiosyncrasies: Aversion to backpacks, liking high school

Risks: Not enough exercise, crossing the corner of Fontaine and Lakeshore (student drivers scare me)

Beloved Possessions: TI-34 calculator (then), teddy koala bear (then and now) — technically, koalas aren’t bears

Problems: Reading too much, brittleness

   

Stop reading (briefly) and listen. What do you hear? Not silence — someone is talking in the background; the leaves blow in the wind; a clock ticks. But you heard none of that until a few seconds ago because your mind focused on this blog. Imagine that you couldn't block out these sounds; you would need noise-canceling headphones all the time. Unfortunately, the modern world is approaching that scenario.

    For example, consider amusement parks. Three months ago, I was waiting in line for a roller coaster. Every three minutes, the coaster swooped over the queue, while creating an enormous clattering. The noise disrupted conversations and shook our eardrums. While I felt annoyed at the sound, its sheer predictability irritated me more. No one who wanted to ride the coaster could escape or ignore the noise.

    Of course, suffering in line was worth it to reach the ride, right?

    Yes. Each passenger loved the ride — as long as they remembered to bring earplugs. For the other 99.9% of us, the ride progressed like this: “Ooh, heights — CLACK-CLACK — it’s a — CLACK-CLACK — look at the — CLACK-CLACK.” Once on the ride, I no longer pitied the people in line; I envied their (relatively) quiet surroundings.

    Perhaps I am overreacting to noise pollution. After all, 60 seconds on a coaster won’t cause permanent ear damage. But our society depends on the idea that citizens think for themselves. At best, a loud environment blocks out thought; at worst, it tries to insert foreign ideas. (That’s why TV ads sound ten times as loud as TV shows.) However, life still contains quiet moments; you found one in order to read this blog. Treasure them while they last.