Logophobia

When I sit in a crowded cafe sipping my coffee, I am frequently lost in my own musings. Cliché though it may be, the muffled sounds of traffic and idle conversation provide a setting of pseudotranquility, a moment-within-a-moment. This subtle noise that permeates the atmosphere of that room is indicative of true music, of which I have spoken before. Seemingly patternless, stagnant, unimpressive sound that coalesces into one's eardrums like so many chattering birds behind a glass wall, this atmosphere is awkwardly conducive to thought. Unfortunately, when others also lapse into silent thought, that atmosphere is lost, and replaced with a serene calm, that has almost the opposite effect. Every movement, every heartbeat is detectable, and life grows detailed. Meticulous. Fortunately there are very few who would silence themselves long enough to contemplate anything except whether they want one or two shots of espresso, and so the meaningless, derivative chatter continues.

I am prone to wonder if perhaps there is some other universe where the silent thoughts of so many people in our universe sitting in coffee shops fuel the musings of those people. If so, what will happen when those few intellectuals left in the world pass on? Another entire dimension may be destroyed in one fatal instance. Trying to think, the poor people of that world will hear only the noise of so many discussions, ranging from fashion to business, language to mathematics, and war to peace. Death to death. Perhaps their politicians, if they have those sort of people, will pass bills and move movements to silence the mental distortion that is corrupting their people. But in the end, the only silence will be death.

For us, and for them.