We Live In A Noisy, Noisy World

I got a special treat the other day. A treat that didn't cost me one cent but, unfortunately, a treat that disappeared almost as soon as it had come. The treat was few minutes of "no noise."

Hard to believe, isn't it, in this world where we are bombarded all day long with noise, noise, and more noise. The other day I ran across a CD that would provide ambient noises while one sleeps. What? Why would I want to add more noise to all the noise already out there? And, worse yet, they even had a similar CD geared to provide ambient noise to newborn babies.

Anyway, the brief treat I was talking about came when I took a book out to our balcony, thinking I would sit in our porch swing and read for a while. After a few minutes I noticed something strange--so strange that it took me a while to recognize it for what it was. Absolute quiet.

It didn't last long. It never does, but while it did, I lapped it up like a thirsty man finding water after staggering out of the desert. It was so sweet I considered moving to far-off Siberia in hopes of experiencing more of it. Unfortunately, just as I got used to the quiet, it was gone.

There is a book about noise and what it is doing to the population of the world. In it, I found out that I am far from alone in my dislike of having noise, (more often referred to as background music), forced on me every time I watch a TV program or movie, every time I dine at a restaurant, and even during prayer and the pastor's sermon at church.

I also found out from this book that there are groups of people rising up against the constant, purposeless noise that seems to be taking over the world, and they are trying to get something done to at least lessen it, if not eliminate it altogether in some places.

The book is called, The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want: A Book About Noise, and written by Garret Keizer. It's available at Amazon, and probably in your local library. If you are longing to see some quiet restored to our world, pick up a copy of the book and give it a read.