Silence is now offered as a luxury good. In the business-class lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport, what you hear is the occasional tinkling of a spoon against china. There are no advertisements on the walls, and no TVs. This silence, more than any other feature of the space, is what makes it feel genuinely luxurious. When you step inside and the automatic airtight doors whoosh shut behind you, the difference is nearly tactile, like slipping out of haircloth into satin. Your brow unfurrows itself, your neck muscles relax; after twenty minutes you no longer feel exhausted. The hassle lifts. Outside the lounge is the usual airport cacophony. Because we have allowed our attention to be monetized, if you want yours back you’re going to have to pay for it.
~ Matthew B. Crawford, The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction
Photo: Edisaacs | Dreamstime.com – Cup,Saucer And Spoon Photo
Wonder what lounge he is speaking of In Paris? Doesn’t matter, silence can be anywhere but that sounds very nice!. 🙂
It does!
Now, why hasn’t someone taken that application and applied it to a private residence? Oh yea, they have….it’s called being single.
🙂 and “alone”.
Silence is one of the things I have treasured the most during my year of adventure. I spent one month in the “big city” (Victoria!) – and was horrified by the noises all around me ((https://thetravelingrabbit.wordpress.com/2014/12/24/leaving-victoria/). I prefer the nights sleeping in a cabin in the woods, with only the sounds of trees swaying and birds chirping. Makes me wonder how I lived for so long in the madness of near downtown Seattle. Anyway, silence. Yes. Check out this guy’s work: http://onesquareinch.org/
Tamara, thanks for pointing me to your post and to Hempton’s video. Terrific…I’m sharing it below for others to view.
https://youtu.be/a0xHfFC_6n0
and find your own quiet spot, a place you can retreat to each day.