Great phrase (also love your word of the day ossified, it makes the Latin nerd happy).
I learned an equivalent phrase, "the empty vessel makes the most noise", in reference to when you hit a hollow object it makes a louder sound than something that is not hollow. It led to a habit in meetings of doodling vases and other "vessels" in meetings when someone was being an empty vessel.
Thanks so much Melanie! I kinda love words but don't want to be a snob. Mine was one of the last years Latin was mandatory in my HS. My parents were probably sure I was getting a relevant education. My favorite memory was I also took French. A school like mine would use priests as teachers to save money. My French teacher was a refugee from Vietnam -- it is hard to imagine a worse version of French could exist as came out of Fr Luong's mouth as he would spit out a verb conjugation. Glad there is someone who appreciates Latin!!!!
Oh I love your empty vase -- that really is the point. There is simply no circle of life where I do not judge the loud horn or now the empty vessel harshly. Aging Gratefully elsewhere in the comments hit it on the head as it is often bullying and just a rotten tactic. The same is true for those that belittle as it is about the same thing. I love the idea of a doodled vase -- like hieroglyphics :)
The loudest voice in the room is not always correct. Just because someone is passionate or sincere does not mean they are correct. Great observation Mark and reminder to never be the loud horn in life. Don't allow loud horns to run your life. It's to short.
Yours is such a positive place to visit Gayla. All is good. Enjoy the fireworks! Currently reading a book that I LOVE but it is WAY WAY too long and like carrying Roget's Thesaurus around.
The World by Simon Montefiore -- 1300+ pages -- the thing that makes it great is it is "the history of the world". It is told from the perspective of concurrent families of all cultures at similar times in history. So maybe 15 pages focused on Genghis Khan and his family. Lots of small bites.
I can't say I've ever heard of it and at 1300+ pages, I don't know that I could read it successfully, no matter how interesting it is. I wish I had the reading temperament that could do longer books, but most anything longer thatn 450-500 pages, I lose interest. Oh well, there are plenty of other books for me to read. lol
I got the book for Father's Day. It is a novel way to format a history book. My book club is reading a book this month under 300 pages. JUST RIGHT! I like this one but think it will be a work in progress for a LONG TIME. It is the first of his books I have ever read but his past acclaim seems deserved -- https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60018232
I love the poll in this issue and also that so far no one has copped to being the loud horn.
I have this recurring mental fantasy that I am stuck underground in a subway car for a long time, and one of the people on the car is a loud horn and he (it is always a he) is taking people in the wrong direction snd it is not good. Would I say anything?
Being trapped with a loud horn on the subway sounds like a nightmare. I think a loud horn in a survival situation demands the crowd rising up. I am confident you would say something great. You would also probably interview the others and make it a great Cafe tale. Asking everyone would lead to the answer of what to do next. As for the man/woman thing. The genius of Seinfeld was that both of George's parents were Loud Horns. The VERY BEST thing about the polls is I have no idea who voted for what -- I like it better that way. That means those that really enjoy the polls will explain their answers in the comments -- hooray.
Welcome CL -- you hit the very vibe I was hoping for. My posts hopefully echo my title -- try to be positive. I know I've been the loud horn at times. It's all good if we layer in a dose of self-awareness I think.
I love your honesty and up-frontedness. I find there’s a loud horn in every family. A bully? An attention seeker? Or both. Glad you didn’t unsubscribe from me. 🙏
Thanks for commenting and glad you enjoyed it. I must tell you that was highly unlikely I wouldn't like your Substack. My shortcut to people is I gravitate to the authentic. I am guessing the Venn diagram of Loud Horns AND Authentic People is not a large slice.
Loud Horns are everywhere and my best of friends all know the shorthand in nearly every setting. We often just say horn
Sometimes the loud horn is fun but in my experience, this means small doses. A blast to see once in a while. A nightmare for a week in a cabin :)
Well, Mark, you are most definitely NOT a loud horn. But for me Substack is becoming a symphony of loud horns. Not because I don't like what I'm reading, but the opposite--I find so much of value here that I'm starting to get overwhelmed. Your post is a good reminder, because I think there are some particularly loud horns I can unsubscribe to. Though it pains me to do so.
AMENDED :: For those of you who enjoy the comments, this is for you. Charlotte writes a MARVELOUS Substack. She brings experience and an instructive approach. I learn about how to write better from her shares about how to improve the writing craft. It is always focused and accessible. Check out The Wild Ruby!
Thanks SO MUCH Charlotte. I know from my past there are times when I was loud. At least for me, once you recognize it IRL, it quickly becomes intolerable. Without banging people over the head, you captured what I was thinking about when I penned this. I read one of my favorite Substacks earlier today. I always feel better after reading it and I never feel like they attached a chain to my leg to inundate me with nonsense until the next issue. It captures my search for the authentic. I believe there is so much great stuff out there and what I am sure of is the noisiest of Substacks who seem to set to block out the sun will keep me from finding the stuff my heart wants. That is not to say those Substacks are not good. It is just they never stop shouting look at me and that will keep me from the road less traveled. They will do fine without me and I would never identify them. I did an experiment a while back with Notes. I now have a strategy that doesn't block the sun when I encounter a loud horn. For me, it is a good path. One of my favorite expressions is please don't treat me like a mushroom -- keep me in the dark and bury me in s#$%
Mark--THANK YOU! And I love your expression--please don't treat me like a mushroom! I'd love to hear your strategy for Notes. I still have not gotten comfortable with it.
Great phrase (also love your word of the day ossified, it makes the Latin nerd happy).
I learned an equivalent phrase, "the empty vessel makes the most noise", in reference to when you hit a hollow object it makes a louder sound than something that is not hollow. It led to a habit in meetings of doodling vases and other "vessels" in meetings when someone was being an empty vessel.
Thanks so much Melanie! I kinda love words but don't want to be a snob. Mine was one of the last years Latin was mandatory in my HS. My parents were probably sure I was getting a relevant education. My favorite memory was I also took French. A school like mine would use priests as teachers to save money. My French teacher was a refugee from Vietnam -- it is hard to imagine a worse version of French could exist as came out of Fr Luong's mouth as he would spit out a verb conjugation. Glad there is someone who appreciates Latin!!!!
Oh I love your empty vase -- that really is the point. There is simply no circle of life where I do not judge the loud horn or now the empty vessel harshly. Aging Gratefully elsewhere in the comments hit it on the head as it is often bullying and just a rotten tactic. The same is true for those that belittle as it is about the same thing. I love the idea of a doodled vase -- like hieroglyphics :)
The loudest voice in the room is not always correct. Just because someone is passionate or sincere does not mean they are correct. Great observation Mark and reminder to never be the loud horn in life. Don't allow loud horns to run your life. It's to short.
Thanks for commenting Paul. I love hearing the opinions and yours is a subtle difference. Great 😃
Thanks for the shoutout Mark. I appreciate it. I hope you've been doing well. :)
Yours is such a positive place to visit Gayla. All is good. Enjoy the fireworks! Currently reading a book that I LOVE but it is WAY WAY too long and like carrying Roget's Thesaurus around.
Curious, what book are you reading?
The World by Simon Montefiore -- 1300+ pages -- the thing that makes it great is it is "the history of the world". It is told from the perspective of concurrent families of all cultures at similar times in history. So maybe 15 pages focused on Genghis Khan and his family. Lots of small bites.
I can't say I've ever heard of it and at 1300+ pages, I don't know that I could read it successfully, no matter how interesting it is. I wish I had the reading temperament that could do longer books, but most anything longer thatn 450-500 pages, I lose interest. Oh well, there are plenty of other books for me to read. lol
I got the book for Father's Day. It is a novel way to format a history book. My book club is reading a book this month under 300 pages. JUST RIGHT! I like this one but think it will be a work in progress for a LONG TIME. It is the first of his books I have ever read but his past acclaim seems deserved -- https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60018232
I love the poll in this issue and also that so far no one has copped to being the loud horn.
I have this recurring mental fantasy that I am stuck underground in a subway car for a long time, and one of the people on the car is a loud horn and he (it is always a he) is taking people in the wrong direction snd it is not good. Would I say anything?
Being trapped with a loud horn on the subway sounds like a nightmare. I think a loud horn in a survival situation demands the crowd rising up. I am confident you would say something great. You would also probably interview the others and make it a great Cafe tale. Asking everyone would lead to the answer of what to do next. As for the man/woman thing. The genius of Seinfeld was that both of George's parents were Loud Horns. The VERY BEST thing about the polls is I have no idea who voted for what -- I like it better that way. That means those that really enjoy the polls will explain their answers in the comments -- hooray.
Thanks for this. I have a loud horn tendency, I hope I keep it in check.
Welcome CL -- you hit the very vibe I was hoping for. My posts hopefully echo my title -- try to be positive. I know I've been the loud horn at times. It's all good if we layer in a dose of self-awareness I think.
I love your honesty and up-frontedness. I find there’s a loud horn in every family. A bully? An attention seeker? Or both. Glad you didn’t unsubscribe from me. 🙏
Thanks for commenting and glad you enjoyed it. I must tell you that was highly unlikely I wouldn't like your Substack. My shortcut to people is I gravitate to the authentic. I am guessing the Venn diagram of Loud Horns AND Authentic People is not a large slice.
Loud Horns are everywhere and my best of friends all know the shorthand in nearly every setting. We often just say horn
Sometimes the loud horn is fun but in my experience, this means small doses. A blast to see once in a while. A nightmare for a week in a cabin :)
"Loud horn." I love that term - thank you for the new addition to my vocabulary!
I fell in love with it the first time I heard it 🤣🤣🤣 It's a fun shorthand in the 🌍 there are a lot of them
Well, Mark, you are most definitely NOT a loud horn. But for me Substack is becoming a symphony of loud horns. Not because I don't like what I'm reading, but the opposite--I find so much of value here that I'm starting to get overwhelmed. Your post is a good reminder, because I think there are some particularly loud horns I can unsubscribe to. Though it pains me to do so.
AMENDED :: For those of you who enjoy the comments, this is for you. Charlotte writes a MARVELOUS Substack. She brings experience and an instructive approach. I learn about how to write better from her shares about how to improve the writing craft. It is always focused and accessible. Check out The Wild Ruby!
Thanks SO MUCH Charlotte. I know from my past there are times when I was loud. At least for me, once you recognize it IRL, it quickly becomes intolerable. Without banging people over the head, you captured what I was thinking about when I penned this. I read one of my favorite Substacks earlier today. I always feel better after reading it and I never feel like they attached a chain to my leg to inundate me with nonsense until the next issue. It captures my search for the authentic. I believe there is so much great stuff out there and what I am sure of is the noisiest of Substacks who seem to set to block out the sun will keep me from finding the stuff my heart wants. That is not to say those Substacks are not good. It is just they never stop shouting look at me and that will keep me from the road less traveled. They will do fine without me and I would never identify them. I did an experiment a while back with Notes. I now have a strategy that doesn't block the sun when I encounter a loud horn. For me, it is a good path. One of my favorite expressions is please don't treat me like a mushroom -- keep me in the dark and bury me in s#$%
Mark--THANK YOU! And I love your expression--please don't treat me like a mushroom! I'd love to hear your strategy for Notes. I still have not gotten comfortable with it.
They are both fun expressions
I will share it separately. Don't wanna be a loud horn.