Etymology:
From Latin
silēns (“silent”), present participle of sileō
(“be silent”), from Proto-Indo-European *seyl-
(“still, windless, quiet, slow”). Related to
Gothic anasilan, “to cease, grow still, be
silent”, Old English sālnes (“silence”).
The sounds
emphasise the respective situation.
Only the right noises guarantee
us the forest, the city park or the
noisy street in the big city.
So
we have to listen in order to
understand...
Whether consciously or unconsciously - we are constantly accompanied by background noise. Street noise, music from the radio, colleagues talking loudly on the phone in the office, aeroplanes, children running around. Our world is loud. There are noises, distractions and sources of interference everywhere. Often much ado about nothing.
If we are exposed to a constant level of noise, this has an effect on our organism. Stress and lack of sleep are generated and our mental and physical health suffer as a result. Genuine silence has become rare and is now a real luxury. Quite a few people now seek seclusion and literal time out to recharge their batteries in silence.