Presented at the CiRCE Spring Regional Conference 2022.

In the long history of humans, people have spent large portions of their day in silence. It is only in the last 40 years or so when music became portable enough that it is ubiquitous. Music or some kind of noise is being played into our ears everywhere: through our headphones, car stereos, gas station speakers, waiting room televisions, everywhere. What happens when a person who grows up in this auditory environment tries to practice intentional moments of silence? What are the effects of the loss of silence?