The death of silence in public places

Coffeeshops, malls, waiting rooms, gyms, bars, restaurants, parks, public washrooms, food courts, museum gift shops, and even the sidewalk. All of these places are now venues for noise.

Unless you have been a recluse for the last few decades, you’ve experienced music blaring from loudspeakers in every one of these places. And simply put, it has robbed us of the ability to think in public.

What the constant music offers is distraction. Why take an extra moment to pick out a hot drink or a new pair of sneakers when you have the latest muzak to draw your attention away from the silence? You are forced into action.

This phenomenon has now infected our public parks in the form of inconsiderate people walking around with speakers, and our sidewalks in the form of ‘I don’t want homeless people to set up shop in front of my building’ loudspeakers that play all day and night.

We have not allowed ourselves to be bored. Boredom is, of course, the nexus of contemplation. Contemplation is the end of how we currently live.

Can you imagine if we were more aware of the lives we currently lead. If in every moment, and at every decision point, we had the chance to contemplate. We might actually start to ask questions like:

“Why am I shopping today? What do I actually need? Is this a prolonged exercise in distraction?”

“This waiting room seems crowded. Do we all have personal problems, or is something going on societally?”

Or

“Why does this man have to sleep on the street tonight?”

Or maybe we could just take a moment to walk around the park and listen to the birds. That wouldn’t be so bad either.

Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes I like the constant hum of noise to distract a part of brain I’d rather not confront. But not always. Not everywhere. Occasionally, I’d like to be allowed to think.