Aural isolation

Since early on in high school, one could often find me roaming the halls of school with headphones on, music filling my ears and taking up all of the aural space I had at the time. The trend continued into college, thru law school, and persists even now as I roam around on my own in various places. I think most everyone knows music is one of my biggest passions in life, even if it's not in the sense of creating it.

Yet sometimes it's nice to not listen to music while roaming about. I was struck by such a mood Sunday evening as I made my way to the airport in San Francisco after a marvelous weekend getting to see a great number of friends and meeting some interesting new people along the way. Earlier in the day I made my way to meet up with my brother and one of his fabulous friends for brunch...music carrying me along the way. I again isolated myself with my mp3 player as I walked from his apartment by City Hall downtown to meet up with a good friend from law school. I was so isolated that I had no clue a gurl in the adidas store asked multiple times if I needed any help with anything. It made for a funny moment once I realized what was going on...typical of the types of exchanges I often share with strangers.

As I made my way back to my place of residence when I visit the City I of course rocked the tunes along the way. But while I was fully prepared to continue the trend as I walked out of my friend's apartment to return home, I felt a desire to not isolate myself. In the end, the use of headphones really does exactly that...it isolates one from the rest of the aural landscape (unless the volume isn't turned up very high at all).

Sometimes it is an interesting experience to simply listens to the sounds of the environment you find yourself in...it adds to the sense of being present in a place, a sign of just how important our sense our to how we experience the world. Not crucial, not even necessary...but definitely capable of adding a layer to the complexity of our world and experience of it (not to say the world is a simpler place without sound).