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26 October 2010 Last updated at 10:17 GMT
By Alex Hudson BBC News
Turn off your mobile phone.
Switch off the television, forget about checking your computer (after reading
this article of course), turn off the hi-fi, shut the windows and stop the
dishwasher and the washing machine for a moment.
What do you hear?
Nothing? How uncomfortable has that made you feel?
From the noise of the text message alert to the Skype conversation, modern
communication tools have made switching off nearly impossible. It seems as
though every minute of every day is spent catching up with what other people
are doing.
As an example, there are 130 working mobiles for every 100 people in the UK.
And the world seems to just be getting louder. Research done by Sheffield
Hallam University showed that Sheffield City Centre was twice as loud in 2001
as it was in 1991.
When outside, the roads are getting busier - 3.5m more people are expected to
own driving licences by 2020 according to the Department for Transport - and
for those using public transport each evening, the rail traveller is told
exactly where the train is destined for at each station, while the sound of
someone else's music player invades the quiet of the carriage between stops.
Start Quote
Carrie
I found silence quite frightening because I didn't know what it was going to
bring up
End Quote Volunteer Carrie
There seems to be no escape.
Maybe then, it is no surprise that some people want to get away. Five people
volunteered to be sent to a Jesuit retreat for eight days where they agreed to
remain entirely silent except for a meeting lasting one hour each day.
"If you go back 200 years into a rural society, people would see being quiet as
normal. Now, it's as if people have acquired an aversion to silence," says
Father Christopher Jamison, who organises retreats at Worth Abbey in West
Sussex.
"There's an element of fear about missing something if we're not plugged in."
And Father Christopher says it is a different world from the days before
television and radio news when people had to wait for the morning paper to find
out the news.
The volunteers were taken first to Worth Abbey for a weekend of reflection
before being taken to the St Beuno's Jesuit Spirituality Centre in north Wales.
So who would choose to cut themselves off from the world?
"I worked in the media for 15 years, and was this television junkie," says Jon
Treanor, one of the people taking part.
Twice-divorced Jon is 55 years old and runs his own business consultancy
company. He rarely spent time on his own and was, in his own words,
"anti-religious" when he started the project.
"The whole thing is frightening to start with, daunting and sometimes boring
but it's like coming off a drug, coming down from something and you have to get
used to it."
Noisy neighbours
Silence has for so long been linked to some form of spirituality - space which
allows deeper thinking and reflection. Certain orders of monks show dedication
to their faith by taking vows of silence. Other orders, such as Trappist monks,
are discouraged from "idle chatter" and will only speak when it is deemed
necessary.
At the retreat, absolutely no talking is allowed except for a one-hour
counselling session a day, and recording a short diary on tape.
Perhaps understandably, with the increase in noise, more and more people are
finding themselves on the receiving end of noise pollution.
According to a recent study by Electrolux, 10 million people in Europe move
home each year because of problems with noise.
Continue reading the main story
Five steps to greater wellbeing
Moodscape graphic
Dr Peter Kinderman Professor of Clinical Psychology
health.
physical health and mental health.
important.
and growing, even if it's just Googling something we heard on the radio.
people seem to have higher levels of wellbeing
And the damage is not only to health, but to the economy as well. The
Interdepartmental Group on Costs and Benefits report estimates that noise
pollution costs the UK economy between 7bn and 10bn each year.
This figure comprises annoyance to the public, adverse health effects and loss
of productivity.
And with everyone getting louder, this silence - or not communicating for any
length of time - has become even more of a sacred commodity.
A recent study by Nielsen found that US teenagers are, on average, sending or
receiving 3,339 text messages a month, more than six for every hour they are
awake.
So it seems staying silent for eight minutes could be a challenge, never mind
eight days.
"I actually thought I was going to spontaneously combust for about two days at
the beginning," says Carrie Lloyd, another volunteer.
"I thought it would physically injure me being silent for that long."
Carrie is 29 and is on sabbatical from a job as head of PR for an advertising
firm to write a film. She thinks she knows why so many of us fear silence.
"I found silence quite frightening because I didn't know what it was going to
bring up," she says.
"We all knew we were going to face up to things we didn't want to face. I had
massive belly cries, clinging-to-the-wall cries but they're actually quite
cathartic. In the end, what we found out was it wasn't half as daunting as I
thought it would be."
And Father Christopher believes that not having any time to yourself means that
many are missing out on a vital - and maybe uncomfortable - part of life.
Heavy traffic congestion on the M4 at junction 11 westbound German research
suggests that 4,000 heart attacks a year in the country are caused by traffic
noise
"There are whole areas of life that people have cut ourselves off from," he
says,
"When we go into silence, it can be very frightening because we find the darker
side of ourselves."
But recent studies suggest that noise could even be dangerous, increasing
stress levels and risk of illness - the word "noise" does derive from the Latin
"nausea" after all.
German research from the Federal Environmental Agency indicates that traffic
noise alone is responsible for 3% of all heart attacks each year.
Brian Kristensen, of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, estimates that
between 200 and 500 premature deaths each year in Denmark are due to noise.
This has led to the EU Environmental Noise Directive and the World Health
Organisation developing guidelines for night noise. It is serious stuff.
The UK Soundscape
most tranquil place in England is Northumberland)
music between 95 and 110 decibels
in Britain. Torquay is the quietest
Even in the music charts, a push for silence is gathering pace. The annual race
for the Christmas number one could this year have John Cage's silent
composition 4'33" among the running, with the help of a Facebook campaign.
But away from the musical politics, and the fiscal and health benefits, the
volunteers went through a rather different transformation.
"From my point of view, stepping out of noise is just the most amazing
experience you could possibly have," says Jon.
"I think, never mind the money it costs to the economy, it's what it does to
you personally in your growth. It's about what happens to you as an individual
that's absolutely huge.
"You grow spiritually, you have to face yourself. You have to face who you
really are and that can be quite a shock."
And while Father Christopher believes it is difficult to maintain the same
level of tranquillity in everyday life - he feels he's "cheating somewhat" by
living in a monastery - the volunteers have been changed by the experience.
"I was left with this overwhelming feeling of strength," says Carrie.
"I felt absolutely fearless and by the end of it, none of us wanted to leave. I
wanted to keep it and didn't want noise to destroy things all over again."
You can turn your phone on again now.
A selection of your comments appears below.
One big problem today is white noise: I often have to put on music or the radio
just to block out the sound of the fridge, heating, computer etc, at work or at
home. If I go for a quiet walk by the river there is always something driving,
whirring or chugging by. Unless you live in a very remote area, silence is hard
to come by, even if you try!
Natalie, Cambridge
Quiet is lovely. I enjoy it - it's never made me cry or scared me. But silence
is pretty well non-existent. What you get is different sounds - ones that are
lost in everyday life. If I have the TV/radio off this is what I hear: Birds,
not just one or two - about 10 different kinds of bird-call. Children playing
outside. The tick of a clock nearby. Next-door's car arriving home from work.
The kettle clicking off, ready for a welcome cuppa. There's a lot more too. The
nearby building site, aircraft. What I find is that I feel so much less
isolated, even though I'm no closer to the people in the neighbouring houses. I
am aware of them doing their stuff. And I feel less closed in, as my mental map
expands to cover the whole street and neighbouring grassy/tree areas. Everyone
should treat themselves to a quiet half-hour whenever they can - bathtime is
good for that, especially in summer. Or just a stroll around the garden.
Sandy Fox, Derby, UK
I have to walk a very thin line when it comes to noise. I suffer from Tinnitus
(constant ringing in the ears). I have to be careful in everyday life not to
expose myself to loud noises as these can make the condition worse. Something
I'm finding harder and harder to do as society gets louder. However, upon
seeking silence, I'm left with the high pitched whistle that haunts me 24/7
that leaves me desperate for noise that will drown it out. The price of living
with noise everyday even when 'silent'? Stress beyond belief.
Mark, Eastleigh, England
As kid growing up in the '70s, I feared only two things - complete silence and
darkness! And God knows we had more than enough of both in those days. Today,
Nigeria has changed. Technology has "invaded" the whole of our existence and
silence is fast becoming an expensive commodity. These days as a family we
travel to the remote village where even Thuraya [satellite communications] will
find it difficult to function. We spend time walking in the forests with only
the crackling sound of dry leaves as company. I find it relaxing and
revitalising and a good way to collect my thoughts. The only way I manage to
get a semblance of silence even on a Saturday is to autocratically turn off the
gadgets and force everyone to read their books!
Temitayo Omole, Abuja, Nigeria
I watched the first episode of this and couldn't understand what they were all
so worried about: the pattern seemed to be get up, eat, laze about, go back to
bed for a bit, wander round the countryside, sketch a bit, read, have another
snooze, write a bit, read some more, eat again, read again, go to bed... no
phone, no email, no muzak, no rubbish tv, no spam, no cold calling. This is the
kind of thing I would pay very good money for.
Sue, London
I did a two-week silent meditation retreat in a monastery in Thailand last
year. The majority of people who dropped out did so in the first three days.
Waking at 4am, sleeping on a concrete bed with wooden pillows, bathing outside
and not eating after noon added to the experience but nothing was as hard as
being silent for two weeks. One of the most surprising things I learned was
that the longer my mouth stayed silent the noisier my brain became. The real
struggle was dealing with your own brain and the memories and monsters etc it
throws at you when you can't be distracted by talking, phones or the internet.
It was an eye opening experience for sure!
Lyn, London, UK
Try driving without the radio/cd player on...I commute 90 mins per day like
this and it's lovely.
Claire, Lancaster, Lancs
I watched the first part of this documentary last week and found it
fascinating. The power of being silent and reflecting seemed to really affect
the people involved. It's so true that people now seem unwilling (afraid?) to
have no stimulus at all. I even see people walking along with another person
and still plugged into an ipod. If we all stopped to think a little about
what's going on in our lives, I think we would be much more balanced
individuals.
Georgie, Reading, UK
I am blessed with living in the tranquil Ravensthorpe valley in
Northamptonshire. In the valley bottom, often only the birds can be heard and
only trees and fields seen. But the quietest places I know are in caves, and
studies have found that it is almost impossible to sleep in a total silence. So
when I camp in a cave, I have to make sure that I can hear some running water,
and I have a slow burning candle lit as well, as total darkness is only
slightly less oppressive.
David, Northampton
The closest I have come to silence is on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). All
forms of transport stop, shops, etc are closed and there is little TV or radio.
The silence is both noticeable and eerie although the experience is quite
enjoyable. Walking on the motorway is serene. I am unable to tolerate this
completely, however, and spend extra time on my computer or watching DVDs.
Jeff Mee, Tel Aviv, Israel
Buses are the worst these days. Apart from the chit chat on mobiles that people
seem to want to share with everyone else, the actual bus never shuts up!
"Door's opening" "Door's closing" "This bus is going to..." "The next stop
is..." "Please take all you're belongings...." SHUT UP!
Dave Johnson, London
What rubbish. Two hundred years ago people might not have had MP3 players and
jackhammers but the average village would have been noisy with horses going
past, livestock passing through, carts and coaches would have been very noisy
passing by. You would have heard the blacksmith banging, traders yelling out
their wares and more than anything people would have been talking the in
streets more as they didn't have an alternative. If anyone got a moment's
silence then they probably would have talked or sang as the one thing that we
don't like much as individuals is silence. Yes, it's noisy in the modern world
and probably getting noisier but lets not pretend like their wasn't noise in
the past. It was probably just as noisy and in big cities like London I bet it
would have been even noisier than it is today.
Tom, Edinburgh
I'm deaf... not totally, just enough that when I turn my hearing aids off
(which give me 100% hearing apparently) I can enjoy almost total silence! I
really value this and would hate not being able to control when I can switch
off from the world... especially at bedtime!
Mike Heckman, Leeds
I had a operation on my vocal chords and had to stay silent for six days. It's
quite hard to do around people, if I had to have another I would go to a
retreat! I had to walk about with a note pad and pen to communicate, when I
"told" people I couldn't speak they would start speaking loudly as if I was
hard of hearing!
Jo Pinel, London