>September 27, 2000
K. David

>The world around us if filled with many wonders. The human animal perceives these wonders through any of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The human mind stores these senses in order to form an understanding and/or memory of the places we go, and the people we meet. To separate the senses from their employment in communication is an exercise in futility; we "sense", so that we can then explain the world around us. To describe the exact evolution of our five senses [in Darwinian terms] or attempt to prioritize them, or specifically list their applications in various situations would be pointless.

>To attempt to shut off any of our senses, to dull our perception of the world around us can be done in many ways. Drugs can be used to alter awareness [for medical or recreational purposes], professional athletes can focus themselves so as to become keenly aware of the physical task at hand, a person can close their eyes to better hear a beautiful piece of music. One might cover their ears to shut out the sound of a train screeching to a stop at a subway platform, a child might plug their nose when eating unpleasant tasting vegetables on their dinner plate, an iron worker will wear gloves to protect his/her hands from the rough surface and sharp edges of a piece of raw steel. Our senses are to be protected, they represent our interface with the world around us. A person born hearing impaired or vision impaired can overcome the adversity of interacting in our society by using their other senses to compensate [current communications technologies have aided these individuals immensely].

>When we enter the public realm, be it on the street, at the shopping mall, at the gym, on the train, or at the theater, we count on our senses to relay information to our brain, which interprets the world around us.

>Imagine now, an individual who voluntarily mutes or alters their perception of the world around them; as mentioned above, this can be done in many ways, and for many reasons. Imagine a world where life had become so intolerable that the world was no longer worth looking at? Certain people might choose to close their eyes all the time, so as not to see the horrors of the world around them; this would result in a severe reduction in sensory input to be sure, but it would also change the way other people communicated with them - a hand signal to alert a person of unexpected danger would no longer work, and neither would a smile or other visual gesture of acknowledgement. And it would change the way they communicated with other people.

>This seems a silly scenario, and one can hardly imagine a world so horrible so as not to be worth looking at. But what about a world not worth listening to? Perhaps it is easier to imagine this sort of world. On a daily basis, one might refuse incoming phone calls from people so as to avoid talking with them during the course of a busy day, or perhaps plug their ears, as mentioned above, to protect them from a loud noise that might otherwise damage their hearing. Even being able to ignore the sound of a wailing siren, or a honking car horn might be necessary in order to fall asleep in an apartment located near a busy intersection. Surely, something would be missed in our perception of the world if we were to shut out the sounds of the things around us; no one could argue otherwise. But missing the shriek of a subway car, or a phone call from an angry client is not likely to cause feelings of sorrow, or make a person think that they are missing something important...

>But what of the person who chooses to mute the sounds of their environment on a regular basis. A person who, when in the public realm, chooses to walk around with a finger stuck squarely in each ear. Have you seen this person? They travel around the city almost oblivious to the sounds around them. Look around you next time you're out; these people must be completely disenfranchised with the world around them; the sounds of public life must have become intolerable. They've chosen to wear a pair of headphones, instead of fully taking part in some of the most fascinating and delightful moments life has to offer.

>They have turned a deaf ear on the sounds of public life, in favor of their own introverted worlds. These people would rather operate in their own self-involved world than submerge themselves in the magnificent sounds of public life. This wouldn't be so bad on an isolated basis, but portable listening devices have become so prevalent that its not unusual to see headphones worn as every-day apparel like trousers or shoes.

>No big deal, right? A few people wearing headphones all the time is just a few people who like to listen to music, right? Wrong. This IS a big deal, or at least a small indicator of a bigger problem; this is just one more symptom of the degradation of values in our society. No, it won't be the straw that breaks the camels back and sends our society spiraling into the abyss; but think about it, and take notice of the enormous number of people around you who don't think the world around them is worth listening to any more. And then, think about how comfortable you are, sharing YOUR world with people who don't think its worth listening to.