The kitchen sounds are much subtler; the humming of the refrigerator, my eggs boiling, the coffee machine brewing, the toast popping up. That all changes when I turn the TV on, than all those subtle sounds are drowned out by the news announcers and especially the commercials.
Kiss, kiss – bye bye; I make it out the door. My car starts, my car radio works, traffic is flowing. HONKHONK; it is not going fast enough for the person behind me. I stop at a red light and the young person in the car beside you needs 200 decibels to wake up. I cannot even hear myself think. And on and on it goes during the day. There is never an end to the sounds that surround us. Most of us don’t pay much attention to it, unless the decibel level is too high for comfort.
Ever realized how much noise we are exposed to on any given day? Sound is measured in units called decibels. The humming of a refrigerator is 45 dBs, normal conversation is approx. 60 dBs and the noise from heavy city traffic can read 85 dBs. Long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 dBs can cause hearing loss.
There are good as well as bad sounds. Since humans are part of God’s creation, the sounds of nature are often healing. The wind through the trees, the songs of birds, a gentle rain shower and the waves of the ocean hitting the beach are all pleasant to our system.
Music that is not electronic, or above the 85 dBs level, is good for your brain and can help a person getting in touch with their feelings. Music is often used in the healing of brain disorders. Depressed and anxious people can find relief through listening to certain sounds. Disorganized brains can be helped to function better through the use of music.
And then there is the human voice. Who has not been affected by a kind word, by the soothing tone of a close friend, by a song that touches your heart?
But sad to say, in today’s world the good sounds are often distorted or drowned out by the bad sounds. I walked into a store the other day at a local mall. The music was so loud that I couldn’t understand the sales lady. A request for lowering the volume was declined by management. They lost a customer that day – I walked out.
Motorcycles, firecrackers, fire arms, hairdryers, lawnmowers, leaf blowers, electric tools, boom boxes and rock concert music all reach the over 120 dBs level, which cause hearing loss over time. Sad to say, many of today’s contemporary church services reach that same level. They are hurting God’s creation! A recent study shows that by the time today’s teens get into their twenties, 1 in 5 has already suffered hearing loss. What was once lost can never be regained.
The Chicago Sun times published an article a couple of years ago titled: “Modern society is hazardous to our hearing.” The question is still out what cell phones and iPods will do.
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reported in October of 2008: “A good rule of thumb is to avoid noises that are “too loud” and “too close” or that last “too long”.
I would encourage you to take full advantage of all the good sounds, listen to your world. Don’t be afraid of silence, it is healing to your brain. And avoid those sounds that are too loud, too close and that last too long; they are hazardous to your hearing and your brain and most important of all they are sinful, because they hurt God’s creation.
Dr. Marianne de Deugd
Director Royal Palm Christian Counseling Center
