When animals make us better humans

On a day off, I went to the movies. There were maybe twenty people in the theatre. Since I don’t like noise very much, I brought my earplugs, just enough to muffle the sound without completely isolating myself. A few rows behind me, a couple started talking. Loudly, and often. At first, I didn’t say anything. Then I gave them a look. Then a “shhh.” Then another one, more insistent. The usual escalation. A man sitting not far from me also tried a “shush.”

But nothing worked. They commented on the movie as if they were in their living room. They made predictions about how the story would unfold, talked about the actors, and shared their impressions out loud.

Honestly, they talked every five minutes. Exasperated, I turned around and saw that they were a very elderly couple. I thought maybe they didn’t hear very well and that I could make an extra effort.

Actually, it was nice to see two older people still enjoying going out together. But they kept talking! But they kept talking. At the end, during the credits, I turned toward them with an annoyed look. The man who had also tried to silence them earlier stared at them too.

The old man looked at us. He gave us a thumbs up, with a mocking expression on his face. At the time, it really annoyed me. Then I wondered if maybe I had overreacted. I felt like the grumpy person in the theatre. I could have taken a breath, let it go, or moved to another seat.

But it’s not always easy to stop impatience from getting the better of us.

Then I thought of Coby, my big black furry dog. He probably would have sighed heavily and simply found a new spot. And he probably would have been right.

On my way home, I thought that maybe we should take inspiration from animals more often. Focus on kindness rather than impatience. Stay calm and move on. It might make us better people.

What about you? Are you the type to talk in a movie theatre or stay quiet?