Sounds of Silence

I was listening to WNYC's Radio Lab podcast about a week ago that focused on the power of sound. Anne Fernald was interviewed about how mothers speak to their babies. The thesis was, "sound is kind of touch at a distance." When someone makes a sound, the soundwaves go on a journey, traveling through space as pulsating air and end up in the ear, touching and vibrating a few small bones.

A slap or a gentile gesture convey a physical outlet of emotion, whereas a sound touching a person is always about something, just as speech is always about something. Now that the world is more connected through the internet, text messaging, blogging, etc., the world is more dis-connected on a personal, even physical level.

Let's say a friend or family member moved away or went to college. Sure, you could text and e-mail that person all you want, but it's not the same as being with them. Talking on the phone with them and hearing his or her voice is a much greater connection than an email could ever represent, because feeling their sound is like a slap in the face or a pat on the back.

Even the sounds in songs that have been passed on for centuries touch the present with the past. Sound connects and influences the world more than people realize.