Noise...

Is there a place you can go to escape the man-made noises that we are overwhelmed by each day? Whether it be the sounds of traffic, office noise, television, radio, the hum of a florescent light fixture or your neighbor cutting the grass, noise is everywhere.

I watched a program on Discovery Channel the other night and it got me thinking about the noise we are surrounded by every day. Most times we aren’t even aware of how loud things have become because we’ve either grown accustomed to it or don’t know what we are missing in the first place.

The segment focused on a gentleman who is endeavoring to capture the sounds of species that are on the brink of extinction. His plan is to preserve natural sounds before it’s too late. He had a great quote that went something like “we won’t even know what we’ve missed out on or that it was even there in the first place thanks to urban sprawl and the number of people that are now on the planet”. It’s a sad but true statement.

Wouldn’t it be nice to discover some untouched wilderness, where the only sound you hear would be the wind through the trees, birds in the forest or the beating on your own heart?

Is there ever a time in your day when things are completely silent around you?   Tell me, are you comforted by silence or would you prefer background noise?

“Listen to the sound of silence.” – Paul Simon



Comments

raydenzel1 said…
stopping for a moment in a desert, you will be overwhelmed with silence, But to be with out any sounds around you, one I think would be surprised with how noisy the mind is!
Brian Miller said…
there are a few times i am far enough off the beaten path i can get it but not every day....it would be pretty freaky to be in world without sound completely...
Brindy said…
There were times when we lived in the Spanish mountains when even the insects and beasts were quiet - no noise at all, it took some getting used to. The other thing was the dark, on a dull, overcast night there was no light at all - so black you couldn't see to walk outside without a torch, but when the sky was clear - boy, the starts were fabulous, millions and millions of the, light pollution is as bad as noise pollution on a daily basis.

I sometimes miss my starry skies.
CrazyCris said…
Within the city limits no place. Although down by the beach the crashing waves block out most other noises. Even most of the mountains around Alicante are pretty close to some kind of road so it's pretty rare to be in a truly quiet place.

I think the quietest place I've been was also one of the noisiest! An island of the Antarctic coast. Walk over to the side that's away from the research station and you don't hear them anymore. Just me, the ice, the sea.... and the thousands of scandalously noisy penguins! :p
Beatriz said…
I went to Palo Duro Canyon in North Texas one year and it was beautifully quiet. Except for my hiking partner who didn't understand the concept of silence is golden. I had to ask her to be quiet and it lasted 5 glorious minutes - then it ended. The last time I heard close to true silence was at the Guadalupe Mtns, my sister likes golden :)

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