CACOPHONY
What is irritating nowadays to me at least? What level of noise would I say that I would be prompt to cover my ears? We got used to too much noise and somehow we are in the loop of getting used to it. I am driving going to work, engine roaring, city traffic. I turned on my music player to listen to favorite song. I should say there are sounds I can hear but they are not irritating. I can live and they don't harm me. When in a club or a concert, I can hardly hear what people are saying when they talk to me. Does it bother me? No. I work my way in hearing it by bringing my ear closer to the speakers mouth.
There is another noise that has nothing to do with hearing and more to do in clutters in the mind and spirit. Too much thinking. Too much distractions. Noises such as worries, fears, habits, addictions. We work our way to get by in the midst of those noises. We work our brain to get used to those noises and that's how life goes on. We compromise. We take the high maintenance . We juggle. We multitask. And somehow we get the skill and live in exercising the skill. We take pills. We got use to it and somehow we find that there is no reason to escape to something quiet or peaceful. Some of us think that there is no choice to tone down the noise because of career, bills to pay and raising a family. Noise becomes normal. Noise becomes new home. And then some of us almost forget that there is such thing as serenity that empowers. And then we wonder "Why do I feel good when I hear the sound of the waves in the beach, the touch of my barefoot in the sound, the chirping of birds in the forest or lying on my back in a lawn while looking up in the sky?" These are not new. I have been there before but I have forgotten the feeling. Places that are not lost but has lost me.
There is also what I call noise to the eyesight. My wife and I are fond of watching Clean House, a TV series that attempts to redecorate the cluttered house of hoarders or people who have very emotional attachment to many things. Home owners are in deep ends and don't know anymore how to save themselves. They find that they don't have time or resources or energy to get rid of all the rubbish in their house. Rubbish that they have been attached emotionally and haven't realized that it is not practical anymore to keep them: clothes that they don't fit any more and are still hanging in the closet for ages, rocking chair that their dead mum used to sing lullaby to them, an over-sized desk which occupies humongous space.
Distractions are obviously evident all around replacing nourishment. We attend to something trivial because it is out there and forget to listen to the qualms of the body and spirit that need rest. And then we wonder why we are having body aches, nausea or anxiety. All it takes is to listen to our body, mind and soul. Are they in pain? Listen. Listen. Listen. When will we find time to listen?
We thought that there is not enough time to listen because we are always on the go. But the only way to find out if there is sufficient time is to stop. Stop. Look. Listen. Go. Why am I heading towards a cliche? That is what the traffic lights are for. To avoid chaos. We ought to have a traffic light in us.
We should not be always on the go. Step on the breaks. Find time to get out of the world and listen within. Breath in and out. In and out. You may realize that you still have a heartbeat that pumps the blood circulating all throughout your body. That is wonderful. You should be grateful. Brain still works although sometimes running in a funny way because of what you are feeding it. Anxiety. Anger. Frustration. Noise. Noise. Noise.
Find silence. There is a power in it. Make time to silence and discover that time is still manageable. You might be surprise.
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