The planet is not suffering from Global Warming...we are suffering from Global Noising.
I have written before that the world is a composite of two realms: the mental and the physical, ideas and concretes. Two interrelated realms, both critical to man's life. Throughout history, the pendulum, the emphasis, has swung from ome realm to the other.
Today, the emphasis is on the realm of the physical, the concrete...where noise is welcomed and treasured.
Everywhere around us, noise abounds:
Television screens, especially commercials, blare away;
Radio and cell phones add to the din;
Movie screens erupt with mind shattering special effects;
The popular genres of music raise instrument and vocal pitch levels to new heights.
Talk, talk, talk wherever, whenever...all fueled by the notion that if you are not talking all the time, you have nothing to say, and if you have nothing to say, you are a boring person leading a boring life. I am one of those quiet ones and when I hear what the others are talking about, I invariably find their conclusion to be reversed.
Dogs bark when they want attention, babies cry when they need attention, men talk talk talk when who they are and what they do, do not warrant attention.
In the realm of ideas, abstractions and reflection, tranquility and calmness of mind are sublime. It is for good reason that schools, libraries, churches, monasteries, retreats and other places of thoughtful contemplation have traditionally been places of quiescence and serenity. Our minds are best served by quiet composure. I suspect the noisemakers do not enjoy being alone with the silence within their own minds.
Two quotes make my point:
"Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact"...George Eliot
"The world would be happier if men had the same capacity to be silent that they have to speak"...Benedict de Spinoza
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