Silence is a precious commodity these days. I don’t think people get enough of it and what is maybe more concerning is they’re not even seeking it out. I have heard it is the space between the bars that holds the tiger in the cage and it is the silence between the notes that help make up the music. If that is true, how are we to process this constant noise in our daily lives with no end in sight? My guess is, not very well.
A friend of mine once entered an anechoic chamber to see how long he could remain in there in absolute silence (It is a room within a room used for testing products and other experiments). It is so quiet that the background noise measured at negative -9 dBA. You can hear your heart beating, your stomach gurgling and even your lungs. He lasted 15 minutes and he though he was going crazy for the first 5-10.
We’re not used to sitting in silence. We’ve been convinced that we need the TV on in the background, our AirPods in our ears while we run or talking incessantly while out in nature. Maybe not. Try turning these devices off, opening your window and listen. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you hear.
More importantly, you may be surprised at what you don’t hear.