Being quiet in a world that’s too loud

These birds know the value of quiet moments.

All my life people have told me to speak up — to enunciate. “You mumble” are two words I hear in meetings and during phone calls. Being loud has never been easy for me. There are already too many loud people in the world.

Still, society expects us all to have certain norms. Stand up straight. Shake a hand firmly. Look people in the eyes. Speak up and loudly. We are all soldiers in somebody’s…