When god created Adam and Eve he gave them 5 great senses and one of these was the sense of hearing and what a great gift this is.
It is only when people develop hearing problems ,generally later on in life, that they fully appreciate how important their hearing is to them.
I have seen my own parents who had hearing problems being very embarrassed because they could not hear the radio or Television.The volume was turned up so high that it was interrupting the rest of the family. . They thought it was wax or something wrong with the sound on the TV.
When they finally admitted to themselves that they had a hearing problem and it was time to go to an audiologist for a hearing test.Naturally they had to get hearing aids. When they had them fitted they could hear normal conversations again. They could also hear the radio and Tv news at normal decibel levels. The change in their own and our lives was truly transformative.
Then the conversation turned to the cost of the hearing aids and the batteries and the changing of them. It was nothing short of daylight robbery to be paying over 4000 euros for two little things put into your ear . Eventually they got used to them and stopped complaining about price.They realised the new quality of life they were experiencing was worth the cost involved.
When I walk in woods or beach these days, I am very aware of the number of people being all wired up and having various embellishments covering their ears.
Some have what resembles big earmuffs covering their ears and their head space is being bombarded with loud music.
As we move up the generations, we have people wired up to their phones or other music dispensing gadget as they walk. They have discreet attachments attached to their ears which excludes all the lovely sounds of nature entering their inner minds. They miss the calming sound of waves, of birdsong etc. and miss an opportunity for inner peace and tranquillity.
Next we have the techie people of all generations with a non-wired remote controlled very discreet earpiece. THis enables them to listen to the podcast and music of their choice without any wires attached.
I wonder will all this bombardment of people’s ears with loud concentrated sound over prolonged periods damage their hearing later on . We will have to wait and see.
A number of people suffer some earache or inner ear infection during their lives and we know how debilitating that can be .
Anyone who has suffered an inner ear infection or who has developed Vertigo will experience a life changing situation. This can damage confidence and need long term medical attention and medication.
It behoves us all to take good care of our ears , avoid cotton buds, and excessively loud music.
Ears are great gadgets for hearing the news and any salacious gossip that one might encounter in your travels. We have all heard of ear wigging . It has been there since time immemorial and will still be there for all eternity as long as our hearing system keeps working.
So, we would be all better off if we keep our own counsel and not being ready to burst to give someone an earful, or Did you not hear? Wait until I tell you.
Let's all be more careful with those very necessary auditory aids and keeping our hearing right.
Mick O Callaghan