When I put this up as my status, I didn’t intend to expand on it until a dear friend of mine asked me what a ‘serene noise’ sounds like. I tried to explain in a few words. I don’t know if I did enough justice to the definition, but here we go.
‘Serene Noise’ is that type of noise/sound (sometimes disturbing to the ears) that causes a necessary but healthy distraction. If the peak is successfully attained, the feeling becomes soothing, and the side effects can be a total shutdown of unwanted/harmful memories/sound in the brain, a restoration of logical acumen, or an enhancement of inner vision.
Err… If at some point in my harmless note you get ticked off, tick back on, or quit reading. It’s amazing how a lot of us complain about life, yet we don’t see death as a better option – maybe not yet. The truth is, even when we know the adverse effects of our action, we still think it’s worth attempting it – if not for the adventure, then certainly for the experience. Not all experiences are worth your time. The wisest man ever, King Solomon, said “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” “…that which is wanting cannot be numbered.” Yet man still keeps searching for something new. We need a distraction from insanity.
Let’s get back to the topic.
The mad traffic in Lagos is enough to leave you psychologically endangered. You hear angry drivers pressing their horns recklessly; lawless officers and government officials threatening the peace of the environment with sirens, bus conductors screaming their lungs out in a bid to get the attention of their passengers; and the dude at the corner blasting some tunes from his terribly-built speakers; the list is just endless. As if that’s not enough, you get back home to meet neighbours ranting and nagging, noise from generators struggling to supply electricity, Dogs barking and even the mosquitoes have a thing or two to say to you. You need ‘serene noise’ – mobile and stationary.
I was listening to the radio as I was driving the other day, and a station was playing a variety of offensive and disturbing songs. I had a choice to switch stations, but I didn’t. I said to the person sitting next to me “Why is this dude making so much noise?” before he could reply, I slipped a disc into the CD player and turned the volume to the max. The dude screamed “Damn! It’s too loud!” and I was like “yeah, but it’s better than the nonsense I was listening to.” Few minutes later, dude was bumping his head to the rhythm “Boy, this is good music,” he roared!
The alternative was louder, but necessary!
I know some of you can’t read or sleep in a quiet environment. You need loud music to read well or sleep well. I don’t know how that works for you, but if it does more good than harm, go nuts on it! Personally, I’d remain on a page for hours until the music is turned down. lol
The kids in class were making a lot of noise one Monday morning. I plugged my earphones in and increased the volume of the music, but that didn’t help, because it sounded like a brawl between whining public speakers and a collision of twelve genres of music with distuned guitars. The most painful part of the experience was that the kids were all having different conversations in groups – narrating movies and soaps, arguing about who the best rapper was, and some were even playing games. I shut them up by throwing a duster against the chalk board, and yelled at them “Will you SHUT UP? ALL OF YOU!!!” suddenly tranquility prevailed. I didn’t stop them from talking, but I gave them an almost equal alternative – Singing the national anthem aloud (back to back) on one foot, for an hour. I continued listening to my music (this time, at the maximum volume) as they sang in one accord.
It was still a noisy activity, but you can call it a ‘necessary alternative’ .
You need a ‘serene noise’ mentality at work, in school, and in your relationship with people. There are some people you just need to turn deaf ears to. Don’t cut them off so they don’t feel less important (even though they are). But when you get too busy and inevitably inaccessible for them, I’m sure they’ll get the gist.
There are things in your life that need to be put on mute. You don’t literally have to put them on mute, but not hearing/seeing them function alone will suffice. Subdue them with what I call a ‘louder’ but ‘necessary alternative.’
