I can’t imagine what it must be like to live in a country where the sound of war planes flying overhead, and bombs going off in the distance, is a daily thing. For those people, the disconcerting sounds probably continue throughout the night. Do they live in a constant state of fear – or do they simply tune it out, ignoring it as they go about their day?
I do not use air conditioning. My windows are open, letting in the fresh breezes. The past few days, I have heard several airplanes flying overhead. I do not live near a large city, nor an airport. I find this sound unsettling, whether I am indoors or working outside in the garden. Is our military preparing for war, or merely practicing for it? Either way, war is not the answer.
As I was walking to my truck the other evening, after getting off work, I looked up at the sound of Canada geese flying in their perfect “V” formation towards the setting sun. These are the sounds that I prefer to hear – the sounds of birds on migration, making their arduous journeys to their wintering grounds. They are the sounds that fill my heart with joy, rather than dread. It seems that these days, for many of us, the only way to experience the sounds of Nature is by listening to a recording, in a desperate attempt to drown out the cacophony of human life.