The Sound of Silence
Sometimes the oh-so-important silence is deafening
In an always-on world, when was the last time you stopped to listen — really listen — to the silence? When was the last time you intentionally turned off the music, the podcast, the T.V., the computer, and put down the books and magazines without a specific task to do, and really just listened to the silence?
Listen carefully to the world around you right now. What do you hear? Even as we sit silently, the world is loud.
Right now, I hear my air conditioning whirring, the roar of a plane engine as it passes overhead, the beeps of my neighbor’s car door being unlocked, and the adorable sound of my dog snoring on the couch behind me.
Do you notice how different the world sounds wherever you go?
Even the difference in sound is noticeable from my house to my family’s house just a 20 minute drive away. At their house, I can still hear the plane engine nearby, but I also hear water bubbling from their pool fountain, a hawk screeching overhead, wind rustling the leaves of the orange trees, and beautiful windchimes in the distance.
Silence in the rainforest
On the darkest of nights in a remote rainforest in Ghana where there were no other humans or man-made anything for miles in all directions, even nature is loud. Thunder rumbled in the distance, animals rustled the leaves and branches of the giant trees, the insects made their cacophonous music, and trees creaked and groaned in the wind. The quieter we were, the louder the rainforest became — you could hear the flapping of giant moth wings, chirps from nocturnal animals, and the soft cooing of birds.
As we lay there in the treehouse in silence, the air became thick, the heat oppressive, and the rainforest got eerily quiet. It seemed like the whole rainforest was holding its breath.
Then, the skies opened up and a cool rain poured down providing life-giving water to the entire forest. And again, the sounds changed. Rain pounded the broad leaves at the top of the canopy, trickling down in some areas while pouring like waterfalls in others. Now the toads and frogs were croaking happily and the thunder rumbled nearby. Trees groaned under the weight of new rain and somewhere nearby empty creeks filled with rushing water.
The Sounds of Venice
In order to experience these sounds, we have to be silent and intentionally present. As soon as we are silent and listen, the world becomes loud. As I watched the bustling St. Mark’s Square in Venice, I could hear the din of voices — a mother yelling at her son, a guide explaining about the aqua alta (floodwaters), a man asking for directions in broken Italian, bird wings flapping, the melodious bells tolling the time, and the roar of boat engines. I could take it all in, so long as I listened.
But, you have to get comfortable with silence and the lack of distractions. You have to allow yourself to be comfortable being completely present with all of your senses awake.
With your silence, the world become thunderously loud — sounds that were background noise before will fill your hearing.
Underwater silence
Being completely silent underwater is easy — it’s not like you can talk very easily with a snorkel or compressor in your mouth. Underwater, you ears are submerged and sounds are muffled, yet if you listen to the ocean, even it is loud! Near a reef you can hear popping and crackling and the grinding of fish mouths over the coral heads. Even your breathing and heartbeat fill your hearing and become loud to you.
Allowing yourself to sit in silence through meditation or a conscious effort to be present can be extremely rewarding. You’ll start to hear and notice things you never have before.
I’m convinced that is part of why traveling is such a great teacher — it forces you to be completely present, takes away your familiar sights and sounds, and opens your mind to help you expand your understanding of the world.
The next time you explore, don’t forget to stop and listen to the “silence.”
Leana’s an avid world traveler who has been to over 40 countries and will be venturing to her 7th continent in 2022. She believes in ubuntu and that adventures make life worth living. To follow her journey as a plus-sized woman with unquenchable wanderlust as she continues to seek out all that the world has to offer, you can check out The Overweight Adventurer.
