<whispers> Greetings & Salutations!
1990 was a formative music year for me.
Everyone else in my house is asleep as I type this. The only sounds I hear are the clattering of the keys on my keyboard. And the faint hum of the refrigerator. And the occasional water filling in the tank of the toilet because something is wrong with the flange, and I need to fix that this weekend. And the distant cars on the freeway—but if I close my eyes, I can sometimes imagine it sounds like the ocean or a river.
I’m sure if I listened hard, I could find another dozen noises cutting through the quietest part of the night.
We live in the noisiest time in the history of the world. But if you go into the wild far enough, you can still find quiet—if not silence. I don’t think I could handle absolute silence for very long—but I love to soak in the silence of man-made sounds every chance I get.
Be the weird you want to see in the world!
Cheers,
Jason
P.S. Thank you to everyone who has requested a haiku as part of virtual busking. I will be sharing some of the haiku in an upcoming newsletter.
P.P.S Depeche Mode was the first band that made me want to understand how songs were constructed. I love their song Enjoy the Silence. The end of the song is even better when you hear it on physical media like a tape, CD, or record.
This entire post has the paradoxical vibe of the 90s alt-music video, right down to the song lyrics: “words are very/unnecessary.” And yet. Words.
Is faith silent?
I seek silence. I crave it. Yet, you're right, silence is relative in our world and perhaps it's not so much silence as lack of noise I'm after. I think you get that, Jason.
A forest has is own sound, the ocean as well. But these are natural, soothing sounds for me. I am very aware of the constant noise of our ubiquitous technology. I've learned to relax and "allow" It for the most part, but sometimes it still grates. My house is otherwise quiet right now, so I'm listening to it as I write this response.
Which is all to say, great post. I relate!