It made
me think about the sounds of 18th Century life. For one thing, there was no
electricity, so there could be no television, radio, telephones, computers.
There were no planes, trains, or automobiles. Right away, there is more silence.
If you wanted to hear music, apart from a pianoforte or fiddle (for the most
part) in your individual home, you could only hear orchestral music at a
gathering, in a salon or concert hall (and it was not replayed; you had to
listen intently in the first place - no multi-tasking allowed!).
If you
went into your formal garden, you could hear water from a water-feature or
fountain; if in the countryside, a babbling brook. You could definitely hear birds chirping,
singing, fluttering their wings. Whether walking alone or with a partner, you
could hear footsteps, and if you chose to do a little horse-back riding, you
could hear the clop-clop of horses hooves. If you lived in the city, you might
hear church bells peeling on a Sunday morning, calling the faithful to church,
or the whirring wheels of a carriage. If you lived on a farm or plantation, you
might hear the call of slave workers in the field, or perhaps a bit of their
work song, the ryhthmic acapella songs intended to increase productivity while
reducing feelings of boredom. You might even, unfortunately, hear the whipping
of a disobedient servant, or the cry of a child.
As evening came on, you would
probably hear even less, perhaps only the sound of a cricket chirping, or a fire
crackling in the hearth, or the scratching of a quill pen on parchment on a candle-lit desk.
The more quiet the
environment, the more one's ears tend to focus on incredibly small sound. Even
snow can be heard, muffled drops of white falling quietly. Or torments of rain
and the crack of thunder in the far distance.
Imagine how incredible it
would be to really hear! In an undisturbed environment. It is in this kind of
silence in which great inspiration has come, the writing of timeless stories,
poetry and music that still endures, letter-writing and conversation that
brought real intimacy. Our world today "enjoys" instant communication and we
have the entire world at our fingertips, but at what price? We bore easily, we
crave more stimulous, as if it is a drug, and we multi-task, as if we will miss
out on something.
Take time
for silence. You may hear something amazing!
We went up to the lot tonight after dinner. It was so quiet I could here my violet candies crashing together in my purse as I walked. Amidst such silence, it was terribly loud and annoying, when in daily life I wouldn't even be able to hear it.
ReplyDeleteRight now Im sitting on the couch and besides the clicking of the keys as I type, there's humming from the lights, me breathing, the dogs crunching biscuits, cars going by outside, motorcycles too, T in the garage moving boxes, the AC coming on... The laptop even hums! Ooo and there's a plane going by too!
Interesting what you tune out and learn not to pay attention to.
Thank you for your comment! I like how you put that: what we tune in or out.
ReplyDeleteSo true.