Silence: have you heard any lately?

si·lence [sahy-luh ns] (n.) - "absence of any sound or noise; stillness."

 I don't watch huge amounts of TV, however the occasional program can catch my attention. I usually have the volume on low and then use the remote to mute the sound when one of the many long commercial breaks comes along. As if 5 minutes of continuous advertisements for every 10 minutes of viewing were not enough, the station also turns up the volume to really try and command fullest attention. I say mute… better still get rid of the TV altogether!

So how about the sound of silence and have you heard any lately? To me it's more about isolating man-made from natural sounds. Loud audio systems, poor-quality housing crammed in close proximity, noisy cars, industry, you name it… It's getting very hard to get some peace and quiet these days. Take time out occasionally to get away from it all. Take a walk in the forest or on the beach. The sounds of nature, such as the wind in the trees or waves crashing on an empty beach, can work wonders and leave you feeling refreshed.