I Was Thinking . . . When is it Quiet?
The often-portrayed image of a public library was a majestic stone building with a librarian with her hair in a bun, that sat behind a large desk and enforced a code of silence throughout the building. Although far from reality in today’s society, it made for a good, stereotyped representation for movies, TV shows and books.
“Quiet”, was a command uttered to noisy patrons. Today, “quiet” seems to be an almost lost commodity.
Even as I sit at home with no TV, radio, or other sound producing devices operating, sounds come drifting in through the open windows. Distant voices, traffic noises, the drone of a distant airplane and an occasional siren break through the otherwise quiet summer evening. Then there is the beep of the dryer signaling the clothes are done and soon the air conditioner kicked in, and the hum of the fan creates an almost imperceptible sound.
There are very few times in our lives today when it is truly quiet.
When I was doing my family genealogy, I found some letters written to my grandfather when he was working in a logging camp. They were from the early 1900s. It got me thinking about the sounds of that time.
This was before they had any electricity so none of the communication devices, we take for granted even existed. Of course, at that time there weren’t any airplanes, cars, or trucks. Except for the sounds of the people, animals, and nature, it was awfully quiet.
The closest I’ve experienced something like that was when we visited my wife’s bachelor uncles who farmed far from town off a gravel road with a long driveway. After supper we would often sit in lawn chairs under a big oak tree and just visit. The only sounds were our own voices, the occasional moo of a cow, and the sound of crickets or frogs from the slough.
There was something really peaceful and relaxing about that setting. Maybe that is why there is such a desire to get up north by a remote lake that lacks good cell phone service. We really miss quiet.
We are surrounded by an array of sound making mechanisms 24/7. Our society seems to demand we be in constant contact with the world around us. We have 24 hour a day TV, radio, internet, and phone connections. Our homes and vehicles are equipped to keep us connected.
There was a time when the commute to and from work was a time when you could block out the outside world for a while and think or relax. Not so today.
Part of the blame for this situation falls directly on me. The first thing I do after I start my truck is to turn on the radio or put in a CD. The same is true of being at home, I either have music, the radio, or the TV on even if I’m not really paying attention to it.
Even if I’m working in the garden, I’ll bring a portable radio within ear shot. I’m so used to having some type of sound around me, I feel uncomfortable without it. Maybe that is why the harshest punishment that can be inflicted on somebody is solitary confinement.
Our over saturation with an assortment of devices or applications draw us away from any sense of quiet. In addition to the TV, radio, and computers, cell phones are seldom out of reach. All give us ample opportunity to be stimulated by some outside source of noise.
Today, children even at a young age are exposed to some type of artificial stimulation with sight and sound associated with a screen. No wonder attention spans have shrunk, and boredom quickly ensures if outside stimulation isn’t provided.
I doubt if I will purge all communication or entertainment devices from my life, but I can try to limit how much time I spend under their influence. For a while this evening, I read on the deck and enjoyed the quiet. It also allowed me the chance to watch a hummingbird feed and the fireflies come out. I think it helped my blood pressure too.
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Photo: I was thinking Ron Albright