The Noise.
“What if I move? What if I stay hopeful? What if I dust myself off and get back up?
What if I love? What if I smile? What if I breathe? What if I connect? What if I embrace?
The static softens. The sirens fade. The scrolling slows. The headlines hush. The breaking news takes a break.
There, in the quiet, clarity calls.”
Lately, in conversations with business leaders, parents, friends, teachers, mentors, colleagues, students, and young professionals, a single theme keeps surfacing: exhaustion. The pace of life—at home, at work, in society—is relentless. The speed of information, the endless notifications, the constant demand to process, react, and adapt—it’s overwhelming. People are struggling to catch their breath, to find the space to think clearly, to make decisions without pressure, to reflect without distraction, to truly connect without interruption.
I’ve felt it, too. And I’ve worked to cut through the noise—by moving my body, seeking support, prioritizing rest, leaning into meaningful work, and, most of all, writing.
After a recent trip brought these realizations into even sharper focus, I was struck by how deeply we all need stillness, clarity, and a way to recenter. From that place—of urgency, anxiety, and a desire to help—I wrote this poem. I don’t even know where it came from. I sat on a plane on my way home to my family after a week of work. I opened my laptop and in a few short minutes, I had written this. To be clear, I would never consider myself a writer, and I have never written or shared a poem of my own, beyond “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue”.
Writing this was cathartic for me. I share it in the hope that others might find themselves in these words, feel seen in their exhaustion, and know they are not alone in the search for quiet, for meaning, for a way forward.
The Noise.
The noise is so loud. Its deafening.
At home: Social media and endless scrolling – the constant pull of reels, reposts, retweets. Click, swipe, tap. Is it real or deepfake? AI or human? A thousand streaming channels – Netflix, Max, Prime? Or was it Peacock? Hulu? Starz? Search, scroll, select. Start, stop, forget.
The soundtrack of daily life – kids, pets, partners, parents, all calling, all needing, all at once. What’s for dinner? Where are my socks? Will you drive me? Can you tell me again, what’s for dinner? Bills, dishes, laundry, cook, clean, re-clean, fold, reload. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
At work: Strategy. Team. Don’t mess up. Be agile. Speak up. Tone it down. Transformation. Prioritization. Stagnation. AI generation. Be independent. Be a team player. Be both. Develop your skills and your career. Do whatever the business needs. Do both. Work anywhere. Work everywhere. Just work. Work harder. Work smarter. Come into the office. Stay home. Unlimited PTO. PTO cut. Healthcare. Who cares? Raise. RIF. Bonus. Re-org. Value. Under-valued. No value. Chat. SMS. WhatsApp. Slack. Meets. Zoom. Teams. Missed the message. Dammit.
In America: Economy strong. Market wrong. Eggs high. Gas higher. Inflation builds, savings expire. DEI ruins America. DEI is America. Trump is a savior. Trump is a scammer. News is truth. News is lies. Who funds this news? Flight on time? Flight delayed? Flights down. History repeating? Rights revoked? Trans people exist. Trans people resist. Jobs lost. Wealth hoarded. Civil Rights roll back, Cybertrucks roll forward. Billionaires win. Children without medicine lose. Breaking news keeps breaking. Middle-class America is breaking. Groceries or the internet? The internet is life. Health is wealth, but screens are stealth. Measles are back. Fluoride is bad? Vaccine might be dangerous. Doctors are mad. Red Dye 40 out. New diseases are lurking about. He thinks he’s king. Third term’s a charm. DOGE to the moon. What’s DOGE? F*** DOGE. Schools are dangerous. Homeschooling is a cop-out? Guns protect. Mental health to blame. Background checks. Waiting periods. Thoughts and prayers. Second amendment rights. AR-15s. Run. Hide. Fight. Not if, but when is the next round? Cold like ICE. Violent criminals? Skilled workers? We are all immigrants. Immigrants are ruining America. Immigrants keep America running. Immigrants are running. Where is the American Dream? Is it fentanyl or deportation or paying rent forever? Tariffs, official languages, gulfs, Greenland. Is this an autocracy or an oligarchy, a democracy or a meritocracy, or is it just America becoming great again?
Now what?
What if I freeze? Hold my breath? Hibernate? What if I only talk to people who think like me? What if my opinions are wrong? What if I build a bubble around my kids? What if something or someone pops it? What if I medicate? Feed the addiction? Stop running?
What if I move? What if I stay hopeful? What if I dust myself off and get back up?
What if I love? What if I smile? What if I breathe? What if I connect? What if I embrace?
The static softens. The sirens fade. The scrolling slows. The headlines hush. The breaking news takes a break.
There, in the quiet, clarity calls.
Look deep inward, where the heartbeat steadies.
Look far outward, where the horizon stretches.
Somewhere between fear and flight, between chaos and calm, between breaking and becoming.
Find the courage to listen, the patience to understand, the wisdom to lead, the humility to grow. One conversation that repairs. One act of kindness that restores. One connection that rebuilds. One breath. One hand to hold. One whisper of resolve in the roar of the world.
One steady step toward something real.
One moment of meaning amid the madness.
The noise is loud, but the QUIET is where we find our way back—to ourselves, to each other, to hope.