It's time we made some noise about noise.
That kills the purpose, doesn't it? What I meant is, we must campaign on a personal level, something like a protest, against noise pollution. That's because ear drums have lost all respect in society. Seems stupid; well, its not. Noise is affecting you more than you know it.
Tell me, what do you consider a typical evening. Assuming what our standards are, it may be having dinner with the TV tuned in to one of the twenty odd movie or serial channels we are charged for. Worse, a 'singer' attempting to exercise his/her vocal chords and covering the bad patches with conveniently loud instruments - something accepted as music these days. For the wilder kind, it may be a trip to the pub or a happening disc. If not these, it may be Himesh blaring through our earphones - those perpetual companions for some.
All these, and many other things (excluding Himesh), are a good way to unwind after a day of brain-eating incidents and suicidal atmosphere. Its not about being against these; its about whether these deserve the absolute importance we assign them. And, ironically, noise is the silent killer lurking in the background. You wont even know when it has taken its toll. You'll just see the symptoms of what we today have come to know as the 'modern (wo)man'.
Picture this: a person made to sit in a silent room with no communication (yeah, that cellphone), no entertainment or anything modern for about twenty minutes. No, this is not me painting a toned-down version of hell. Most probably, that person will feel lost. Very lost. Not because there's nothing to do. Its just that (s)he is so accostumed to noise 24/7 that this would feel weird. Very weird. Hearing loss is the least damaging thing noise does to a human.
Its concentration loss. Humans have accepted noise (a world of difference from 'sound') as a normal part of life. If it's not there, we go cuckoo in the head. If it is, our privacy is subtly invaded. Silence is, more than rarely, connected with awkward moments, inactivity, boredom, hurt, pain and so on. For some, peaceful moments filled with happiness are when the discman/fm channel is so loud, you can't hear your own thoughts, worries. No doubt the most hapenning holiday destinations are quiet places. And then we say, 'That place was like heaven!'. Very true; now ask yourself why.
The world over, institutes are studying the change in natural pattern due to increased noise pollution. For example, swallows in urban areas have forgotten their natural song. Some were even known to imitate vehicle sounds. 'So what', you say. Try to digest this: 'The bird honked at the first rays of sunlight'. Just another case of onomatopoeia going wrong?
Tell me, what do you consider a typical evening. Assuming what our standards are, it may be having dinner with the TV tuned in to one of the twenty odd movie or serial channels we are charged for. Worse, a 'singer' attempting to exercise his/her vocal chords and covering the bad patches with conveniently loud instruments - something accepted as music these days. For the wilder kind, it may be a trip to the pub or a happening disc. If not these, it may be Himesh blaring through our earphones - those perpetual companions for some.
All these, and many other things (excluding Himesh), are a good way to unwind after a day of brain-eating incidents and suicidal atmosphere. Its not about being against these; its about whether these deserve the absolute importance we assign them. And, ironically, noise is the silent killer lurking in the background. You wont even know when it has taken its toll. You'll just see the symptoms of what we today have come to know as the 'modern (wo)man'.
Picture this: a person made to sit in a silent room with no communication (yeah, that cellphone), no entertainment or anything modern for about twenty minutes. No, this is not me painting a toned-down version of hell. Most probably, that person will feel lost. Very lost. Not because there's nothing to do. Its just that (s)he is so accostumed to noise 24/7 that this would feel weird. Very weird. Hearing loss is the least damaging thing noise does to a human.
Its concentration loss. Humans have accepted noise (a world of difference from 'sound') as a normal part of life. If it's not there, we go cuckoo in the head. If it is, our privacy is subtly invaded. Silence is, more than rarely, connected with awkward moments, inactivity, boredom, hurt, pain and so on. For some, peaceful moments filled with happiness are when the discman/fm channel is so loud, you can't hear your own thoughts, worries. No doubt the most hapenning holiday destinations are quiet places. And then we say, 'That place was like heaven!'. Very true; now ask yourself why.
The world over, institutes are studying the change in natural pattern due to increased noise pollution. For example, swallows in urban areas have forgotten their natural song. Some were even known to imitate vehicle sounds. 'So what', you say. Try to digest this: 'The bird honked at the first rays of sunlight'. Just another case of onomatopoeia going wrong?
posted by heston at 6:18 PM
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