I've been down in Santiago, Chile for about 10 days working on the implementation of a major airline to our system. Everything went well; even better than expected. I'm assigned to the overnight shift of "channel support", which means that anything our hundreds of employees in the field can't answer, they call, e-mail, or IM me for help.
Also assigned to the same shift are two very boisterous men - one Latin, one Indian. They are always talking, always joking, and have the very bad habit of not letting anyone finish a sentence. My irritation and lack of patience has reared its ugly head more than once this week. I've tried asking nicely, I've tried sarcasm, and I've tried yelling at them to please shut up, to no avail. They talk over each other, not to mention anyone else in the room.
I have come to realize something about myself through this. There is a reason why I choose to work from home as much as I do. It's not just these two gentlemen that behave this way - it seems to be rampant in much of the company these days. Nobody has a simple conversation - it's all one-upmanship to see who can talk the loudest, or the fastest, or who can manipulate the most electronic devices at one time while still pretending to listen to what you're saying to them.
I've heard all sorts of theories on why this is - overstimulation from TV, computers, iPhones, iPads, iPods, video games, and just a fast-paced life. But my theory is different - people do it just because everyone else does it. It's not that they aren't nice people - they are. And their table manners are impeccable. But I cannot deal with a room full of people all vying for attention, all absolutely certain that it should be only their voice that should be heard.
In the meantime, I'll be oh so happy to get back to my little Summer Palace known as a camper, where the only sounds I hear are the birds chirping in the morning.
