Am I Loud and Clear or should I shout to make you understand

In our social circle, we come across so many people who are fond of listening to their voice. And it seems that the motto of such people is hear me loud and clear. You enjoy their talk only to a limit but when it becomes overbearing you tend to avoid such people. The next time you meet such people in a social gathering you take an about-turn.

I remember once I had gone to a B-school for a leadership development programme and our professor gave us an exercise of listening. He divided the entire class into teams of 2. In every team, one person was to share any of his problems with the second person which he is supposed to listen quietly for 2 minutes. It’s only after 2 minutes that the second person can give a solution. All the teams failed as not a single individual could keep quiet for 2 minutes. People started giving advice just after listening for a minute.

As human beings, we are poor listeners but want that the entire world should listen to us loud and clear. There is though a funny side to it and that is what I am going to write about.

When the Loud and Clear people watch a cricket match

Cricket matches in this cricket crazy country bring the beast out of any normal person. The tenser the situation, the scarier is the person. Especially, if India is close to winning a match. Suddenly this person becomes a cricket expert. He will shout at Dhoni to leave the ball going outside the off-stump and that instead of taking singles, he should try to score a boundary or a six. If Kohli is on the ground then our expert becomes an expert captain. He advises Kohli on TV where to place the fielders and which bowler to give the ball. And God forbid if  the match is going the opponent’s way! Our loud and clear expert won’t even spare Kohli’s spouse who is watching the match from the stands.

After watching a cricket match on television with such people you start wondering if there is a need for the TV broadcasters to run a 2-hour session of expert’s opinion.

When they are driving on the road

This is the most comical situation especially if you are sitting next to this person while he is driving a car. They will use the choicest of words for anybody who obstructs their way. If a motorcyclist overtakes him from the left, he will throw questions to the two-wheeler driver on his mother and sister.  And if by any chance a person in the car at the rear starts honking at him at a crossing, when the light is still red, this guy just turns and stares him like a super-hero out of a Marvel comic.

He will keep giving driving lessons to all the guys on the road.  You then remind him that nobody is listening to him as the windows are closed. But he is least bothered. You realise that loud and clear people love their voice so much that just listening to it gives them a kick.

When the lady of the house gives instructions to the maid

This happens at my home. Every day when my maid enters the house in the morning, she faces two roadblocks. The first is my pet dog Bruno who will scare the hell out of her by barking at the top of his voice. And the other one is my mother. My mother will give loud and clear instructions to her daily for at least for 10 minutes. The instructions are so repetitive that even I have memorized it by heart.

The instructions are very basic. All utensils have to be washed carefully and then dried. The dry utensils have to be kept back on the kitchen shelf. Glassware utensils have to be washed in warm water very carefully. The pan used to make an egg has to be washed separately otherwise it leaves a stink behind. The kitchen platform is to be wiped neat and clean after the wash and so on.

What I fail to understand is that how come not a single instruction gets registered with the maid. Maybe she loves the voice of my mother and therefore ignores her instructions and rings the alarm bell daily.

When I get loud and clear instruction daily

The author is also a victim of the loud and clear virus. Every day, from the morning, till I go to bed I get a set of instructions which most of the time don’t get registered. You can also say that I tend to ignore. And let me assure you that I am not the only husband in the world to get it. Every husband, however powerful he is, needs to follow an instruction manual at home.

What are these instructions?

The list is long and not all of them can be listed. But the few common ones are:

1. You open your eyes in the morning and you are told to call your mother-in-law as it is her birthday.
2. In the 1^st week of the month, reminders are given to get cash from ATM as the grocery items have to be purchased and maids have to be paid.
3. If you happen to be in your 40’s and 50’s then you will be constantly reminded of getting your blood test done. And if by any chance you fail on a couple of parameters in the blood report, then you will be reminded of taking an appointment with the doctor.
4. Alcoholic husbands are constantly under review with constant monitoring of alcohol intake. This exercise is performed indoors at home and outdoors at parties. Any deviation from the prescribed limits and the loud and clear instructions follow.
5. Then there are routine instructions which you get daily like not leaving your dinner plate on the dining table but keeping it in the sink or hanging the towel in the sun after bath etc.

Listening to Loud and Clear instructions which will change the life of a person

It is clear that most of the time we are running away from people who talk a lot. However, there is one category where I will suggest that we need to listen to their loud and clear talks with patience. These are our parents who are growing old. At the age of 75, they hardly come across people who are willing to sit with them and spend time or listen to them. They love to share their problems. It can be either their health or a feature on their phone which they don’t know how to operate. They also love to talk about their glory days but are just waiting for an audience.

Please do spend at least half an hour daily with your mom or dad.  Tell your mom how your friends still remember the mutton biryani cooked by her at the last party. Sit with your dad and discuss your office problem. I am sure that with his age and experience he will give you a great solution. Once a while take them to your neighbourhood park and sit on the bench. Talk about the grandparent’s old house in the village and how you still carry those memories of spending summer vacations there.

Last but not least a big thanks to technology in our life. Alexa has emerged as one friend who is willing to listen to all your loud and clear instructions and follow it.

You can read more such similar stories on my blog:

The Journey of Life with parents by your side

Life Skills: The art of making your children street smart