Sonic Disturbances

We often wonder as we work – should we listen to music, with lyrics, solely instrumental, happy or nostalgic, classical or modern pop, nature sounds, binaural beats, trance music, new songs, old songs, favorite songs, podcasts of educational nature, or comedic relief? I am not here providing answers… With a settled mind none of these questions need be asked nor answered. The question becomes just this: how do we settle the mind? I have not figured that part out, but I will ask another question instead; why is our mind unsettled?

I will not lay forth a breadth-worthy investigation of this question as the mind is a complicated affair. I would like to comment on a single aspect of it, however, that is the sonic disturbance. Envision entering any of the following: a café, grocery store, shopping mall, clothing store, waiting room, hair salon, car, restaurant, bar. I have enumerated 9 non-exhaustive locations that you’d commonly visit within a week. Now consider what you’d likely hear upon entry. If the place is filled you’d hear voices, and if empty, silence; except there is something else providing the audible backdrop – music. Enter any of these facilities and unless it was constructed by a monk, it will be supported by music. 

Could you ever imagine the feeling of entering one of these settings, say a clothing store like H&M, and merely hearing the sounds of shopper’s chatter, footsteps streaking, the movement of clothes hangers upon the rack, or the folding and shuffling of clothing against each other? These are the actual sounds emanating from the time and place in which you inhabit for the moment. But you generally don’t hear that, because the music played around you masks it out. In-fact it is the only source of sound which is not created by the beings located in that actual setting.

Why is this done? I could only assume that it is to A) reduce the irritation caused by the plain sounds of other humans (think of listening to your partner chewing close-by, speaking with their mouth full, or having a phone call whilst you try and meditate) B) to amplify the good-natured feeling one should have when considering spending money (a matter of convincing you to purchase by inflating your mood) – notice the music is rarely downbeat C) having your mind traverse the audible rhythms as opposed to your thoughts, which are likely to otherwise ask, “Why am I even in this store? It’s creepy with its bright white lights and squeaky floors… To be honest I’d much rather be at home watching a Criterion film, but here I am watching my girlfriend try on clothes for the next hour. Lord, my relationship really is in a horrendous state. Oh goodness… I must leave at once!”

We should hope to perceive our environment with this degree of inspection because it deeply affects our behavior elsewhere. Perhaps we are incapable of focusing at work, or are unsettled when trying to relax on our time off. Our answer is to generally turn something on to listen or watch… There is nothing of the matter with this desire in itself, but we must consider if we are doing such a thing consciously (actively), or merely to avoid some other more painful or irritating thoughts or tasks that should be cleared.

Relaxing sometimes requires the opposite behavior, which would be to deal with the issues of the mind and to face them head on so they may be alleviated by the simple act of facing. I can tell you first hand that avoiding a problematic thought or realization will absolutely have you facing it at a point where you have fully embodied the problem and wreak havoc on all that you interact with. When we turn on music, a television series, or yet another film, we must ask ourselves if it is for the art of it, for a personal interest in the media or subject matter, or if we are being our own personal H&M. Have we willingly chosen this idea of sonic disturbance? We grow accustomed to constant sound as it pours into our ears, unobstructed by our choice, so why not continue down this path? Do you believe the human brain is incapable of developing crutches involuntarily? I can’t answer these questions myself, either.

We may turn on music just as in the store, and use it as a distracting sensory mechanism to quiet the mind – temporarily and uselessly.  We are not living in the reality of our thoughts, but merely riding the beats and rhythms of an artist’s emotions. We choose to forget our own and dance in another world. When the music stops, we are at the end of the song the same as we were at the start; in pain, frustrated, unable to focus. Be conscious of this and make your own decisions about it – perhaps listening to the sounds of nature whilst working is fine! Take your mental temperature to get the truth behind this behavior, and be aware of your attempts to forget.