The Sound of Silence

[mousme]

And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.

I have found increasingly that I don't listen to music at home anymore. I don't watch that much television either, overall. I go through crazes in which I'll watch an entire TV series in one go, but overall apart from the computer I don't switch on any electronics at all.

I kept wondering about that, because I used to have music on all the time. I couldn't imagine my life without music in the background (and I often still have earworms that make for a soundtrack in my life). Now, though, I find that I'm not really drawn to putting anything on to play at all.

I figured it out a couple of days ago, in a flash of inspiration: it's a backlash against my job. I work in a high-stimulus environment. The phones ring all day, the radios beep, the faxes ring, and there is noise all. the. time. People are talking loudly (no matter how often we tell them to keep it down), there are constant comings and goings, and it's just... always loud. Always.

So when I come home now, I revel in the quiet. It's my downtime, and the most precious commodity for me now is absolute silence.

Comments

[bodhifox.livejournal.com]

No canned music for me, except in the car. No TV. Same thing. I spend a third of each day with a headset on, and a crowd all about.

[luvenditti.livejournal.com]

I remember having music on all of the time when I was younger. Sometimes the tv is on, but I had to truly become an adult before enjoying, nay TREASURING silence. It's something my mother still hasn't woken to. All I want when I come home from work is to sit quietly, but she asks a zillion questions. To put her off, my automatic response is. Fine. Nothing. Nope. Not much. Okay. And then around supper time I actually REMEMBER my day and all of these interesting anecdotes and things come out. I think it also comes of becoming more and more comfortable with ourselves and the inside of our heads for company.

[tcaptain.livejournal.com]

That makes sense.

I used to listen to music all the time. I remember sitting on my bed at home and listening to these archaic groupings of songs called 'albums' all the way through. I kinda miss that, no playlists, no shuffle, nothing like that...just an album from the first song to the last, the way the band produced it. I don't think I've done that in 20 years!

Now, music is what I use for distraction. I listen while I drive so that traffic won't send me into a murderous rage, I listen at work to distract myself from the other distractions while I work.

At home, it's rare I'll put on music, although I do enjoy it while doing chores.

On most days off, I am like you, I want to get in a couple of hours of silence with a good book.

[whiskeygirl8.livejournal.com]

Well, I never thought of that. I am the same at home. Pretty much the only times I listen to music are in the car and when I clean. I never connected that to work, but it makes sense.

I have had my computer hooked up in the new place for over a month and I still don't have the speakers hooked up. Even when I do, I rarely go to videos that people link because I just don't want the noise.