Where, oh where, are the sounds of silence?
By Gail Binkly Researchers who study such things say it’s nearly impossible these days to find anyplace in the continental United States where one can experience 15 minutes of silence, uninterrupted by jets flying over, ATVs roaring through the woods or someone’s stereo thumping away. Head to the forest, climb a mountain, take a walk in a park — unless you’re going to Antarctica, you probably won’t find quiet. It’s a quality that has nearly vanished from our overcrowded, over-stimulated world. I’ve always found it peculiar that people seem so fond of noise — not just harmonious sounds, of course, such as a symphony or the Beatles — but noise, harsh, unmelodic, distracting and cacophonous. The world is awash in it, so apparently the majority of humans don’t mind it at all. Take barking dogs, for instance. Few people would argue that the barking of dogs is pleasant. No one lulls a baby to sleep by barking at it; no one purchases CDs of barking dogs to play as soothing background music. I
