The Sounds of Silence
Everyone is worried about global climate change (don't get me wrong I am too), but what about global silence change? What if there is only a set amount of silence in the world? Every time someone writes another crappy pop song, another 3-4 minute of silence disappears. Overwritten with noise. Before the song was written, there was only silence occupying its place. Or perhaps it was an idea, but ideas don't make noise except within the soul or mind. The global population has increased...more noise. Electronic devices make it easier and easier to push away the silence and find the noise. Maybe silence is being killed.
But in a more realistic vein of thought: people seem to be afraid of silence. How many people do you know that talk just to avoid "awkward silence"? Silence is the natural part; vocal chords vibrating to spit out small talk that has to travel and tickle the tiny hairs in the side of someone's head is far more awkward if you really think about it. And how many people do you know that always have to have the TV on at home so they don't have to deal with silence? Think of all the people that have to listen to music, podcasts, or white noise such as a fan, etc in order to fall asleep. I think most people aren't really as scared of the dark, as they are of the silence that night tends to bring with it. And then there are the worst kinds of people: the ones that bring their noise out to nature. The people who go hiking with headphones in. They're missing the point if you ask me. Or the people who go camping and blast music out of their car/stereo the entire time. They're the ones that are scared to death of silence!
Obviously, there are very few places where you can experience absolute silence, and it's usually not good for you over extended periods of time. I'm only talking about silence where there is an absence of sounds made by man and machine; unnatural sounds. One of my favorite things in the world is to go snowshoeing on snowy winter nights. The only sound is that of the snow crunching under my feet, and the occasional gust of wind rustling the branches. I stop and breathe the silence in with the cold.
When was the last time you enjoyed silence?
But in a more realistic vein of thought: people seem to be afraid of silence. How many people do you know that talk just to avoid "awkward silence"? Silence is the natural part; vocal chords vibrating to spit out small talk that has to travel and tickle the tiny hairs in the side of someone's head is far more awkward if you really think about it. And how many people do you know that always have to have the TV on at home so they don't have to deal with silence? Think of all the people that have to listen to music, podcasts, or white noise such as a fan, etc in order to fall asleep. I think most people aren't really as scared of the dark, as they are of the silence that night tends to bring with it. And then there are the worst kinds of people: the ones that bring their noise out to nature. The people who go hiking with headphones in. They're missing the point if you ask me. Or the people who go camping and blast music out of their car/stereo the entire time. They're the ones that are scared to death of silence!
Obviously, there are very few places where you can experience absolute silence, and it's usually not good for you over extended periods of time. I'm only talking about silence where there is an absence of sounds made by man and machine; unnatural sounds. One of my favorite things in the world is to go snowshoeing on snowy winter nights. The only sound is that of the snow crunching under my feet, and the occasional gust of wind rustling the branches. I stop and breathe the silence in with the cold.
When was the last time you enjoyed silence?
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