Why don't people enjoy quiet anymore?

I'm a urban dweller, but live on a street that is pretty quiet after 10pm at night. I have a pond with a waterfall in the back yard and a small fountain near my front patio so that helps to drown out any urban noise. I love to sit near my pond by candle and moonlight and just relax, listen to the birds and watch my cats play.

It's funny sometimes friends or family will come over and asked repeatedly "What's wrong?" because I am sitting alone in the dark with a candle or sometimes just by moonlight and I just smile and say "Nothing wrong, everything's right"

Also, outside of my work which takes me to alot of noisy club and venues, I would rather stay home and take advantage of the peace. Even when we can afford to treat ourselves to a meal out, we prefer to go during the day, after lunch and before dinner when fewer people are out.

I think you hit the nail on the head. When we lived remotely my stepdaughter (who grew up and lives in the middle of Chicago ) would come to visit and thought it was too quiet. I saw what you said in her. She always had to be going, doing, etc., and just never seemed to slow down. As I got to know her I found that she had to be that way because she really could not be left alone with herself and her thoughts. The theory was proven when, even in the middle of the city, years later she ended up in an apartment by herself with TV/phone, etc. having been shut off and she literally had a pyschological breakdown after 2 weeks. Granted, that's a worst case scenario but I really think a lot of people are just uncomfortable being alone with themselves and/or nature.

I love the quiet be it inside or out. As I sit here this morning typing this my home is quiet and even here in the city I can hear the birds outside, etc. As soon as DH gets up, though, on will go the infernal TV, as he needs his "background" noise. For some strange reason, even when we have company he has to keep the TV on, even while we're trying to all have conversation. I always reach over and turn it off and amazingly it's so much easier to have a conversation with everyone!

Just the other evening before dark, when I was out putting up the critters for the night -- I asked, what I believe are, those tiny little frogs with big voices if their neighbors ever complain about all that noise...I let them know that I think it is lovely. They sing to encourage Spring to arrive.

Marlene

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Donsgal, all children are not noisy. Whenever people would call my house when my girls were little, they'd ask "where are the girls?' to which I'd reply, "right hear." I always got "y'all are so quiet." When I'd drop in on my parents, they wouldn't know the children were in the house. They always headed to the back door to hug their (at that time) 3 Golden Retreivers. LOL. My girls and I are quiet people. When my ex comes to visit, I get a headache and get edgey. So do the girls. He's loud. He talks loud, the tv is on constantly, or he's 'singing' and he can't sing. I'm typing this and as my lovely neighbors has a car radio blaring. They get out the car and turn the radio up then have to scream over it talk to each other. How dumb is that? We're blessed with this house in town, but I sure will be happy to get back on my land. All you here is birds, frogs, coyotes and an occasional moo from the cows on either end of the road.

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How true! DH and I only camp at state parks, for the reason that they are usually very peaceful. Even then, I always end up commenting "It's louder here than at home!" I thought the idea of camping was to get away from the noise...

I think a lot of people have been conditioned to tune out silence, or quietness, because doing so isn't "productive", and if they slow down, they'll somehow "miss" something.... I'm still working on this.

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One particular old song says it so very well-----Silence is Golden!

I love the outside noises too, in the country. DH likes background music but always asks if I want the radio on while where working at the land. Usually, NO!

Patty

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I truly believe you have to be at peace with yourself before you can enjoy the quiet. I have always preferred silence over the raging noise. But then I guess I am different to some people. I love sitting out on my front porch just listening to the sounds of nature, the croaking of a frog, the singing of the birds and nothing is more satisfying than listening to a happy hen just singing her little song as she looks for a bug to eat. Gratefully I live in the country, only people made noise is a car passing occasionally. I also have a waterfall in my goldfish pond that is soothing to listen to.

I love the quiet, my husband hates it. He went fishing this weekend and I don't think I have had a radio or TV on at all. I remember 20 yrs ago when I moved from the St. Pete to father's house out in the country, I could not sleep because it was too quiet! Now when I spend the night in a city I can't sleep because it is too noisy! Last spring my son was laying in bed with me and I had the window opened and he said "I love the sound of summer". Made me realize how lucky we have it!

Are we talking absolute quiet as in no noise whatsover, or the lack of manmade sounds? I don't like absolute quiet, as I have tinnitus (ringing ears) and when it's completely quiet the ringing drives me nuts. I have to have SOME sound to take my attention away from it.

Right now, I'm sitting on the sofa listening to the birds chirp and the tinkling of the wind chimes. A large plane is flying overhead, and it seems like it's taking forever for the noise to fade away. We live on a 1/4 mile arterial street; not too much traffic, but a car just passed by with radio blaring. If I were outside, I'd be able to hear the traffic on the main streets that flank our neighborhood. On a really quiet day, I can hear the trains that run about a mile down the street. Right now the outside temperature is perfect; a little cooler and the neighbor's noisy heater would kick on, warmer and their noisy A/C would be on.

I generally have a radio on, not because I don't like quiet, but because I need something to drown out the planes, traffic and other noises that intrude on my day.

i would much rather listen to mother nature then some ones car radio.