The Endangered Sounds of Silence

"Silence is a sound, many, many sounds. I've heard more than I can count. Silence is the moonlit song of the coyote signing the air, and the answer of its mate. It is the falling whisper of snow that will later melt with an astonishing reggae rhythm so crisp that you will want to dance to it. It is the sound of pollinating winged insects vibrating soft tunes as they defensively dart in and out of the pine boughs to temporarily escape the breeze, a mix of insect hum and pine sigh that will stick with you all day...But silence cannot be imagined, although most people think so. To experience the soul-swelling wonder of silence, you must hear it." With brilliance and poetry, acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton asks us to preserve and protect the last bits of silent space in the world. Read on to hear more of his stirring narrative that brings to life the beauty of the natural world.

http://www.dailygood.org/story/972/sounds-of-silence-gordon-hempton/