In my summit season, I seem to seek
peace and quiet more urgently because the world about me has become
increasingly cacophonous.
Noise seems to bring out the worst in
everyone; it is a form of air pollution that takes a toll on our
bodies by increasing our blood pressure and heart rate and stressing
our minds. Repeated super-loud noise is not only a nuisance and
assault to our ears, but can actually cause deafness. Stress hormones
from noise surge into our bloodstream and contribute to illness.
Where can I find the quiet I long for?
Can I ever escape noise in our modern world? I endure the blast of
industrial noise in the name of progress, the clank and bang of
construction with pneumatic jack hammers, air compressors, dump
trucks, bulldozers, loaders, cement trucks, and pavement breakers
that seem to be everywhere in crowded urban areas.
A move to the suburbs? That simply
substitutes one environmental noise for another. There is the
deafening whirr and roar of power lawnmowers. I've heard of
“environmentally friendly vegetation management.” Someone started
a business called “Goats-R-Us.” They lease “Soft and Silent
Machines” with four legs and horns that don't honk which are
guaranteed to take care of lawns or fields. In the process they
consume most of the things one would normally take to the dumpster!
People pay big money for vacation
trips to escape to some quiet corner of the world only to discover
that there is no silence on fantasy island.
In the search for silence, some
corporations install quiet “nap pods” for the use of executives
and employees during break time. Some hotel chains designate quiet
floors; certain hospitals mandate “quiet time” for an hour or two
daily in an effort toward healing and rest. The practice has met with
enthusiastic response from patients. Daycare centers include quiet
times to counter the constant hubbub of active young children.
Our search for mental repose may lead
to the purchase of noise cancellation headphones which emit opposing
sound waves to mask noise. One could go the cheaper route of
earplugs. Virtually soundproof rooms with carpeted walls, ceilings,
and floors are in demand for installation in certain buildings.
Anechoic chambers have been experimented with to test whether human
beings can exist in absolute silence. So far the results have been
negative and far from healthful—no one seems to be able to endure
complete absence of sound very long before panic set in. I recently
heard about noise-masking machines to distract our ears by emitting a
drone-like monotonous hum.
Well then, can laws force silence? The
EPA has determined that noise above 55 decibels outdoors and 45
decibels indoors is detrimental to concentration and work production.
It's a fact that noise levels of more than 100 decibels are the norm
on today’s dance floors! I heard of a rock music festival that
tried out a “silent disco.” Everyone wore wireless headphones to
individually hear the music and partied until dawn without disturbing
nearby residents. Activist groups rally to increase awareness of
noise pollution; they lobby to fight it by trying to adopt noise
codes. Community planners erect sound barriers along heavy traffic
highways to deaden the never-ending, nerve-racking honking, roar,
blare, rumble, and screech of commuters and freight transport.
Complete silence may not really exist.
But in an effort to find it, a park outside Los Angeles offered a two
hour silent hike to “let nature speak for itself.” However, even
our God-created natural world is surprisingly noisy. Living creatures
buzz, chirp, croak, squawk, cackle, screech, hoot, bellow, moo, and
whinny but such noises don’t seem to assault our mental state as
much as mechanical sounds.
Could we go out into space to find
quiet? Science tells us that the universe is not silent either! It
makes its own unique sounds.
Should I try to isolate myself in my
search for quiet and tranquility? Being alone may not bring the kind
of peace I am looking for either—solitary confinement, after all,
is a punishment in our prison system. Pure silence even makes some
people uncomfortable. The minute they come into their homes or cars
they switch on the radio or TV and even jog with a Walkman or iPod.
Children today are conditioned to do their homework with loud,
raucous background music and seem unable to concentrate when it is
quiet.
In the unlikely absence of all
extraneous noise, we can still hear our own heartbeats and the
vibrations in our eardrums. Those afflicted with the stress of
tinnitus or constant ringing in the ears find that complete quiet is
never possible. Nor can any of us escape from voices in our heads
that are constantly carrying on muffled conversations.
As a last resort, can't I go to bed
and sleep soundly to achieve silence? Ah, but I'm told that our ears
never completely switch off sounds even while we sleep; the brain
still registers noise! I hear things while sleeping that in the
normal course of daily life are drowned out. If a spouse snores, we
lie awake and our nighttime blood pressure spikes!
The question is, can I still have
peace even if I don't have quiet?
(Part two tomorrow: "Mini-slices of Silence"
Excerpt from Leona's forthcoming book, Chapter:
"Summit Meetings with God")
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