When was the last time you experienced true silence?
By youdontsay
@youdontsay (3497)
United States
June 20, 2008 2:39pm CST
How long did it last?
It occurs to me that I can't even remember the most recent time I've experienced true silence. I live in the city where there is always traffic noise at some level, day and night. And I'm seldom alone anymore. Other people seem to require some kind of noise for them to be comfortable - music, t.v., something.
When I am at home alone I usually don't turn on any music or t.v., at least during the day. At night I'm sometimes more comfortable alone in the house if there is some kind of noise, as if it protects me from intruders. Silly, isn't it?
I can remember times when I've been somewhere in nature where there were no traffic sounds, only birds or insects, wind or water moving. It was very healing.
I think I need more silence.
What about you?
2 people like this
13 responses
@hello_cancer (183)
• United States
20 Jun 08
i think i need more noise. i spent a good deal of time in NYC recently, and there is never silence in new york. i miss the sounds of the city more than anything.
3 people like this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
20 Jun 08
I think it is a generational thing. I didn't like silence when I was young. I thrived on the clamor of a house with kids. But now I really crave more quiet.
Hope you get to go back for your NYC fix soon!
1 person likes this
@hello_cancer (183)
• United States
22 Jun 08
i used to love it. when i was little i lived out in the county, and i loved it. i still do, but at the same time i think i thrive more on the life force of a city than that of the country. its really personal preference, and i have my days where its completely the opposite and i just want to be in the middle of the woods somewhere.
1 person likes this
@Angelwhispers (8978)
• United States
20 Jun 08
Youdontsay, I live in a small town in the country so even in the night if there is little to no traffic noise, and if everything is turned off in the house and you sit out side the noise from the insects and night birds are still very loud. Then in the house you can hear the tic tock of the hallway clock, the refrigerator kicking on, the attic creaking from heat or cool down. I don't think there is such a thing as total silence.
3 people like this
@ElicBxn (63252)
• United States
20 Jun 08
I love nature sounds, especially the sound of the surf and running water. Lately tho, it seems all I hear are appliance alarms, squeeling something outside and crashs from the cats - if not meows or cat fights. I'd love to take off and visit the country side, but its so hard to find the quiet places these days, much less afford the GAS to get there!
2 people like this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
20 Jun 08
Boy, do I know what you mean! I miss driving out into the country whenever I start feeling the need to get away from carsbuildingspeople. 
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jun 08
I love quiet, silence. I'm like you, during the day while I'm here in front of the computer, I'm very content with no TV, or music...although sometimes I have the radio on but very, very low. I live in the city type area also, so there's always "noise"--but right now all I hear are the sparrows chirping like crazy..love hearing that.
If I'm not on the computer and doing some cleaning instead, then maybe I'll crank up some music to make my cleaning chores more fun to do
2 people like this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
20 Jun 08
Yes, I hear bird calls with the traffic during the day. And since I live on a busy street I often have the "benefit" of hearing people's car stereos blasting away as well. Sometimes at night, when there is less traffic, I can hear a train in the distance.
I used to live along the Ohio river and could hear the boats at night. I miss that.
1 person likes this
@syeryn (573)
• United States
21 Jun 08
Ahhh I'll take the solitude of nature over the noise of humanity anytime. I traded in my tabletop fountain for two roaring streams on my mountaintop property 16 years ago.
I now begin and end every day with the sounds of nature that surround my home and if I don't have to leave my retreat to run errands in the nearby town, I stay home.
We used to vacation here two weeks of the year and one day it dawned on us that we lived in an area we hated and waited a year to be where we truly wanted to be -- one year we went on vacation and never went home.
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
22 Jun 08
How wonderful for you! Sixteen years of vacation. Good for you!
@ycpgoldberg (807)
• Malaysia
20 Jun 08
Maybe you can go to jungle or climbing mountain.
In that way you can feel the real silence,
and hear the sound of natural.
3 people like this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
20 Jun 08
I'm afraid that the jungle, forest, and mountain are very far away from where I live . Ohio has some forests, perhaps an hour's drive from here. But that's about the best I could do to find natural quiet.
I live in a city of more than 2 million people, so it isn't ever silent here. 
2 people like this
@magnafrost (62)
• India
21 Jun 08
You are right. I live in a city too and i just realised i need some kind of noice too to feel comfortable. But as u said, natural silence is very healing. Best thing to do is to get up really early in the morning and go for a walk. Trust me, you'll love it !
1 person likes this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
22 Jun 08
Wish I was able to walk. I am seldom pain-free long enough to walk a block comfortably. I'm still hoping for some solutions to the pain, then walking will be a delight.
I'm still hoping for some solutions to the pain, then walking will be a delight.
@p3halliwel2005 (3156)
• Philippines
21 Jun 08
I experienced it in the hospital..No one was in the room just me. I had to turn on the tv to stop the silence. I don't like silence much...it's deafening for me. No noise means I'm all alone and I don't want that. Although it is really peaceful if it's silent but I would rather have a bit noise.
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
21 Jun 08
So many of us avoid being alone with our thoughts and feelings. Yet it is in the silence that we can hear what is truly in us and, if you are spiritual, we can hear the Sacred.
It can be pretty scary to be in a hospital sometimes, so I can see why it might feel "deafening" for it to be silent. My hospital experiences, however, are that hospitals are noisy places even at night! Sure don't get much rest there.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
21 Jun 08
oh my when I live in the suberbs and there is always some noise
like the sound of a plane, or the traffic out on Newport Ave
or a dog barking or crows cawing here in our complex. but
late at night with the moon out and traffic stopped for awhile I hear silence, healing silence then an owl hoot, or a restless'
bird does a midnight call. but those sounds are natural and
it can refresh ones soul. the breeze ruffles the tree branches
'and makes a soft music. peace for me.
1 person likes this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
22 Jun 08
Sounds lovely. Do you have a porch? I can imagine sitting in a porch swing and listening to the night sounds.
@adoremay (2065)
• Philippines
21 Jun 08
Nature is a very good place to attain inner peace. Getting in touch with nature helps a lot, it really gives you that calmness not just of the self but on the spirit as well. But true silence could be attained anywhere, it is more of the disposition of the person. Where there is inner peace there is true silence.
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
22 Jun 08
There is truth in what you say. And it is hard to block out all the distractions around us. Thank you for reminding me.
@mimico (3617)
• Philippines
21 Jun 08
The last time I experienced true silence was during a silent retreat to the mountains. We stayed in a lovely place fr 5 full days just thinking, praying, and reflecting. I even thought I would grow fat from eating so much because there wasn't anything else to do! After staring at people and birds for the first few days, I was really able to reflect on my life and myself thus far. That time of quiet really helped me a lot. We need more "quit time" in our lives, that's for sure!
1 person likes this
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
22 Jun 08
I've always thought that would be a great experience. I have this dream that one day I will be able to rent a cabin in the woods for a week and stay their alone. It sounds so peaceful. Don't know if the reality would be as good as the dream, since I'm not the "outdoors" type and don't know about "roughing it" on my own.
@jmlcabular (98)
• Philippines
21 Jun 08
I go to our farm almost every weekends. I feel very relaxed in there; it is a very stress-relieving environment wherein there are no noises usually found in urbanized areas. There are only noises made by the nature (insects, leaves, winds). There is also a beach nearby, just a walking distance. I love swimming in there.
