Fun Holidays - World Listening Day

A person experiences the world around him through the organs of vision, smell, touch and hearing The Indians of North America put their ear to the ground to determine by subtle acoustic vibrations what kind of creature was making a sound and at what distance it was located Modern man, immersed in the background of a metropolis around the clock, is deprived of even a tenth of the abilities of his ancestors This fact worsens the interaction of people with nature and the surrounding world To draw attention to this problem, World Listening Day is celebrated on July 18th The establishment of World Listening Day, which has been celebrated annually since 2010, is associated with Raymond Murray Shafer, a Canadian composer, teacher, philosopher and conservationist The founder of the World Soundscape Project is the founder of acoustic ecology, a discipline that studies the sounds that occur in the environment and their effect on the human body The object of research is both natural noise (the howling of the wind, the sound of raindrops, the splashing of waves) and those of man-made origin (the operation of car engines, the roar of equipment at construction sites, etc) The date of birth of R Shafer, July 18, 1933, was chosen to establish World Listening Day Modern people get tired not only from stress and the frantic pace of life, but also from “sound pollution,” which is most often characteristic of large cities Increased noise levels affect not only hearing acuity It causes constant fatigue and irritability, reduces performance, and leads to the development of chronic migraines and neuroses The noise level from a car signal heard at a distance of 75 m from the listener is 107 decibels, from a bus - 91 dB It is known that a sound of 130 dB causes pain in a person, and at 150 dB it becomes physically unbearable High levels of background noise are an underestimated threat It can cause sleep problems, hearing problems, cardiovascular disease and other health problems The sound of moving outdoor subway cars and electric trains, cars, garbage collection equipment, lawn mowers and other units negatively affects both the physical condition of humans and living beings Dogs, cats, squirrels and birds suffer from noise in megacities; they become deaf or begin to behave aggressively R Shafer began studying acoustic ecology in the late 1960s at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver Based on his experience, the scientist has developed exercises for developing auditory competence that help specialists in planning the sound landscape of urban areas A well-organized and comfortable auditory environment is the way of development of the megacities of the future In the meantime, in honor of World Listening Day, city residents organize meditation in the fresh air, away from noise and dust, and practice yoga to relax and achieve harmony with nature