Went on a walk for an hour an a half today. Did something similar couple of days ago. Have been taking walks more often more lately. Of course I have always been an avid walker and a explorer of places for no reason other than to walk.
On long walks I like to listen...to something in my earbuds. It's either podcasts or repeated episodes of the office. Rarely, and I mean very very rarely, will I listen to music while walking. Just not my thing. I'll listen to music with friends or when by myself even when I'm folding clothes and dance all by myself it's fun. Not when I walk though.
The other day I was ready to leave for my walk and realized my earbuds hadn't been charged. N suggested I consider going without them...it's fun to just listen to soak in the world around you, he said. That made me think. Does listening to something that's detached from what you're seeing or where you are reduce the appreciation of your surroundings?
Let's start by looking at the alternatives. Does not having something to listen to in your air automatically mean you are more connected to the surroundings. Keep in mind the earbuds are not completely sealed and you perceive your auditory environment, with a reduced volume. I will suggest that's not the case. On multiple occasions I've walked for several blocks, even for hours without noticing my surroundings because I was so lost in my thoughts. My environment-agnostic thoughts. It's not clear leaving your ears open to your surroundings does make your take in your environment more, let alone appreciate it, by itself.
It is fun though, when there's people around. Conversations to be listened unto, fights to be heard, people to be judged. The ambient environment is worth giving your attention to mostly when there's something worth listening to. Rivers, birds streams people animals fun things. Trees don't talk about how Elena is so rude, how Randy shouldn't have left without telling anyone else. The soft murmur of the wind, the silent symphony of leaves, the pitter-patter of steps, they're fine if there's nothing else going on but you don't need a walk to hear those.
And then there's times when you run out of things to listen to. Lately it's been due to the battery of by bluetooth earbuds dying. I can go on for hours without noticing there's nothing playing in them. Maybe that means I'm not as detached as I might be, and the sounds in my ears are just background noise to distract my brain while I appreciate the beauty of my surroundings.
One important thing. When I'm listening to something, there's definitely a lot less active thinking happening in my head and a lot more 'listening'. It's not bad or good, just something to consider. Sometimes thoughts are tiring you just want to give in listen to something stupid like when Michael makes a fool out of himself for.a stupid reason. And then there are times you do want to think. Even then, having some sort of background noise makes my brain take it easy, not rush at a thousand miles a minute.
Maybe open ears is not as connected as it might seem to be at first consideration. Still, it's fun to listen to nature and the human environment when there's something interesting happening around you. A cop-out to the original question, true, but only supervillains deals in absolutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell me what you think. I'll read, promise.