Silence in a Busy World

An article written for Coalatree. Click here for a link to read it there. 

     When was the last time you spent just a moment in complete silence? When I say complete silence, that is exactly what I mean. No noise from vehicles, trains or your phone buzzing away. No sounds of any kind. Besides for the classic natural sound of silence; crickets. If you can’t remember when, that is because silence is very hard to find.  “According to the National Park Service, 83% of the land in the lower forty-eight sits within 3,500ft of a road, close enough to hear vehicles.” With airplanes, the statistics are more dramatic. “With over 30,000 aircrafts overhead per day, the FDA is predicting a 90% increase in the next 20 years.” - Florence Williams. That study was done in 2002.

  We (homosapiens) are not evolutionarily made to live in cities. Everything about us is designed for living in the desert, woods,

mountains, and natural areas. But, that is not the world we live in anymore. For this reason, getting out of our four walls, out of the overwhelming city is a necessity! We, us, you, need silence to calm the raging river of noise. We need to hit the reset button.

"Noise is the most pervasive pollutant in America"

--- One study has shown an increase of NK levels (cancer fighting cells) up to 40% after spending multiple days in nature. Those NK levels stayed that way for months.

--- Smelling the aroma of a forest will lower your blood pressure, heart rate, lower stress and reduce asthma. These positive effects from nature will stay with you for days or weeks after leaving.

     I, for one, have felt the positive reinforcements of nature. I can recall dozens of times sitting around a campfire alone or with friends thinking about how the day made me feel. Whether that was physical or spiritual. There’s a sort of presence you can tap into once you slow down. The benefits of spending time in nature are overwhelming. I could go on how it helps your creativity and all around health. The book: The Nature Fix by (Florence Williams, 2017) pieces the puzzle together beautifully with hands-on experience in scientific research and data collecting. I highly recommend you read this book. Obviously, time in the mountains or deserts is beneficial. Something just as important is how you spend your time. Be grateful for what there is left to enjoy. Be respectful. Let the forests grow healthy without making your mark (carving in trees) or vandalism of any kind. This earth provides us a place to live, allow it the same!