I want to be able to study on the third floor of the Monroe Library without being subjected to adult cartoon characters screeching, “Pickle Rick!”

Is that too much to ask?

When I first toured Loyola I was told that each floor gets progressively quieter, with the third floor being silent, but this is not the reality of it.

I get it. The library has comfy chairs and your roommate exiled you, but there are other places to seek refuge and watch cartoons at full volume besides the third floor of the library.

To be fair, the noise pollution from Adult Swim shows is not the extent of the problem. Phone calls from parents are answered, couples have arguments about how one partner is texting a ‘friend’ a little too often, and people listen to music out loud which all contribute to unnecessary noise on the third floor.

Those of you who whisper on the third floor don’t deserve to be put in the above- mentioned groups. You are the real problem. Why do you hate order? Who hurt you?

The second floor volume is supposed to be a whisper. Why go to the floor above to follow the rules of the floor below? Maybe you’re confused. The fourth floor gallery is not silent. I don’t know the volume rules for that floor, but I assume there are none, so whisper there, or anywhere else.

I know, I could just find a new place to study, like the Holy Name of Jesus Church, but I somehow find reading Feuerbach in front of the crucifix inappropriate. Plus, the pews are uncomfortable.

I’m sure I sound like an old man with sensitive ears, but we should all be concerned about the disappearance of quiet zones because we are constantly bombarded with noise. Whether it be events happening in the quad or airplanes flying overhead, living on a college campus in the middle of a city can be pretty loud, so an escape is crucial.

I think we could all benefit from a little silence, not only for the reasons mentioned above, but also for self-reflection.

We need more places to escape noise, not fewer, so next time you’re on the third floor, please keep the silence rule in mind. You may actually benefit from it.