"Then one day, upon arising into the quiet post-shouting hour, I left
the earplugs in. I went about my morning in the apartment and then
ventured outside with the earplugs still in my ears. I could hear people
speaking, I could hear sounds, but it all took place at a remove. And
yet I did not feel farther away from everything. I moved through the
streets as though in a dream, but, as with a dream, somehow more
attentive and aware than usual. Up to that point the purpose of earplugs
was to keep things out. Now I perceived a new dimension to earplugs—to
keep things in.
What things? Thoughts, I guess. Ideas. Equilibrium. Concentrating was
easier, and I began to leave the earplugs in to write. Errands in the
city, or when I had to take the subway, were much more pleasant at a
slight sonic remove. It's like listening to music on an iPod, but
instead of filling your head with sound, you fill it with your thoughts
and your own breath. ...."
"Such a small, mundane little object, but what an effect on a day! How, I wondered, did earplugs come into existence?"
More on :
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2007/03/breathing_lessons.html
"Such a small, mundane little object, but what an effect on a day! How, I wondered, did earplugs come into existence?"
More on :
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2007/03/breathing_lessons.html
