I had just stepped out after a relaxing full body massage into the outer chamber to wait for my massage therapist to return with a warm cup of herbal tea when another patron appeared and took a seat a few feet away from me. I was cozily propped in a nook allowing myself to enjoy the calmness around me. The lighting, heating, fragrance, pipe music and ambience were perfect – until the other patron decided to play a video out loud.
It completely shattered the peace of the place though it was not switched to the loudest possible decibel. The pipe music got drowned out, the calmness of the atmosphere got thrown out of a non existent window and the entire ambience was ruined. I had just soothed my nerves and was not in the mood to engage in a conversation with someone who seemed to be aloof to the essence of placidity. However, I looked up to see whether this loud tirade was as a result of a mistake, alas, it did not seem to be the case.
What surprised me the most was the state of oblivion. Not only was this untoward behaviour as a result of possessing no understanding of what is congruous for the location and situation, it was also possibly due to lack of interest in possessing such knowledge.
While I do understand that we live in a world where some people can be unknowingly selfish and some people can choose to be selfish, I hope this serves as an eye opener for both. Being louder than the room, is not a way to stand out – it is a way to be a sore thumb. There are plenty of wearable audio devices out there – choose one and use it without being known and noticed for the wrong reasons. Public places are for conversations with those present, not a platform for each person to play their music and their podcasts.
Has anyone else had their peace shattered? Write about it to fullofetiquette@gmail.com so that we address more of these issues and solve them one story at a time.
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