Silence

Silence is no longer golden. We as a society are no longer capable of being alone with our thoughts. Wherever we go in life; our ears are bombarded with conflicting levels of sound. From car engines to sirens, from talking heads to loud music all are contributors to the surrounding noise pollution.

As I write this I am standing in the courtyard of the Paseo de Colorado, an outdoor mall located in Pasadena, California. In my immediate field of view are three restaurants and a movie theater. Each facility is broadcasting its own unique soundtrack competing for our attention by attempting to show how hip they are. However, the waves of sound emitting from each establishment have merged together into an indecipherable level of electronic pollution. If by some fluke, an actual song bleeds through the noise, the vocals are still lost in the surrounding babble. Even everyone's favorite past time of eves dropping on the juiciest of conversations becomes impossible as the best parts fade into the background.

What are we afraid of?

What thoughts are hidden behind these sonic vibrations?

Has it come to the point where we are so afraid of solitude that we have to clothe our loneliness in the artificial sounds of society?

It seems to me that now more than ever silence is as rare as and more precious than gold.