Silence

Feb 04, 2022

Most of life is not silent. There is talking with others, the noise of freeways and cars, the wind, and in many public places background music (or muzak).

I've noticed a trend of thought recently about the importance of solitude and silence. The constant buzz and stimulation of life takes away from moments of reflection and peace. There must be a balance. I enjoy these moments of silence, and try to intentionally build them into my life.

A wrench has recently been thrown into all of this, which is Covid, but not in the way you'd think. I tested positive for Covid, and in the quarantine, I noticed a ringing in my ears that up until that point never seemed to be significant.

To my surprise and shock, I am not the only one. There is a possible link between Covid and tinnitus. That Covid could cause my ears to ring for an extended period of time, even after multiple vaccines and a booster, is not something that was on my radar at all.

During quarantine, I have been attempting to read, but in the silence, the ringing keeps nagging me. But I don't notice it when I walk outside, or listen to music. From what I've found from sources online, this could be temporary or permanent. Obviously, I'm frustrated.

Whatever comes of this, I think my relationship to silence will be profoundly different. If this is temporary, I will more than ever appreciate the peace that silence brings. If not, I will have to develop coping mechanisms (of which currently is to listen to sounds/music while reading) to deal with this.

Silence is a gift.