A. Ursyn Orchestra / Sound of Silence

About Silence

The Sound of Silence

by Matylda Czarnecka

Do you become nervous when there is a sudden gap in a conversation you are having? When the radio or tv has a longer-than-usual break in the broadcasting, do you frantically rush to change the channel? Does the quiet “please whisper” atmosphere of a library scare you away enough so that you grab your books, check them out and run off to a different place to study - one with less silence?

Did you think I lost my place? Did you wonder why I simply stopped? Did my unexpected silence make you nervous?
Perhaps the fear of silence can be linked to the fear of being alone. Humans, being social in nature, are always seeking the company and presence of someone other than themselves. Since constant contact with others is not always possible, people have found other sources of company. Walkmans, discmans, portable radios. It is not of any surprise to see someone carrying these devices around with them. Of course these people claim that they are addicted to the latest hit and simply MUST listen to it. What they really mean is that they MUST listen to SOMETHING if they are caught in solitude. Noise pollution is an easy way to escaping from being alone.

Devices are a popular way of keeping the silence away, but they are not always available, for example in the middle of a class. For this reason people invent their own methods of producing noise. Surely you have caught yourself drumming your fingers on a desk or humming to yourself or even scratching your head. All of these are “natural” ways of creating noise pollution. Of course you may argue, “but scratching your head doesn't’t make loud noise...” true, it isn't’t noise that others can hear, but you can hear it and that is all that matters when trying to dispose of silence.

Many people become rather annoyed when others around them create noise. The ironic fact is that the people who become the most annoyed are those who are most agitated by the sound of silence. So why do they resent it when others are doing them a favor and ridding of the silence for them? This is because they are paranoid of the horrible chance of the noise stopping. They are not in control of any other person and should that person sitting next to them suddenly - STOP! - that would be a catastrophe. The noise pollution people want to be in control of the noise so that it will not stop.

Why is Hitchcock so honored for his horror films? Perhaps it is because he has mastered the art of silence. Modern day horror flicks have eerie music playing right before a scary event is about to take place. Unfortunately, there is no scary music in real life to warn us of upcoming events. Hitchcock realized this and thought "I will use ordinary noises to scare.” He uses everyday sounds to build the suspense - a bird chirping, a car passing, a floorboard creaking. In this way, the next time the viewer hears one of these noises, they might just wonder “was that a natural sound, or is that possibly that darn murderer...”
It's rather sad that when two people come in contact with each other, they feel they are obliged to hold up a conversation. This is especially emphasized when two people are introduced to each other for the first time. They first exchange the usual “Nice to meet you” and “I’m fine, how are you?” ’s and then it happens - that moment of silence that just lingers there. There are then ritual methods of ridding of the silence. First of all, there’s always the weather,
“Yeah, the clouds. They’re poofy and big and .... Poofy. Like marshmallows or something.”
“They are cumulus”
“Yeah. They are poofy and big!”

Of course if this approach doesn’t help much, there’s always the environment.
'That chair over there... It's so similar to this chair I saw at a museum once... except that this one’s blue and that one was green and it was different...”
“Ah.”
“Yes. Museums have strange displays lately.”
“Sure.”
Then there is always the common acquaintance.
“Bob is such an ... interesting person.”
“He's so... opinionated.”
“Yeah.”
"He always has SOMEthing to say.”
“Yeah.”

But why bother to fill in the gap? Perhaps thee next time you have the urge to break the silence, you ought to us€ your other 4 senses. Ignore your sense of hearing if silence bothers you so much. Blind people make up for their loss of sight by having their other senses be extra-sensitive. The some can be applied to us. If we let the silence set in and use our other senses, we can realize many more details about our environment. So the next time you feel an urge to kill the silence, don’t. Instead, use it to our advantage.