Spring is arriving and the trees are beginning to bud. Likwise, so are the ears of many a jogger, many a cyclist, and pretty much everyone under the age of 25. Since the arrival of the iPod and its powerhouse marketing department, earbuds have become not only a hip way of listening to music on the run, but even a mode of fashion expression. Wasn’t it just a few years ago that it was cooler to just walk with a fake limp and carry an entire stereo on your shoulder? We’ve come a long way since Run DMC, but I’m concerned that by plugging our ears, we might be missing out on a lot of what happens between our temples.
I visited an apple store last week, and after my eyes had adjusted to the glistening light of 1000 stainless steel products and packages, I made my way to the earphone racks. There were the usual array of options – everything from low-profile ear buds to the weighty “Beats by Dre,” which I’m pretty sure are just repurposed chopper pilot headsets from the Vietnam War.
What really got my attention, though, was that an entire rack was dedicated to earphones for “athletic use.” I’m not surprised that manufacturers have caught on. Some of us want earphones that match our cute running outfits and that the rest of us think those iPod armbands make us look dangerous in a hip, tribal kind of way. But a whole rack of athletic earbuds?
Just like most of the world, I have a love of audio content. I listen to National Public Radio while shuffle through my morning routine. I download a handful of podcasts each week, and in case my last post didn’t get the point across, I like music quite a bit. Just then same, when I take off on my bike or go for a run, I rarely bring my iPod.
After a day of listening to people on the phone, being transported by stories on the radio, and flooding my mind with background music to create a mood, I like to use my time on the bike for silence. However tangled or confused they may be, I prefer to dwell on my own thoughts for that short time.
I know some readers might be bracing for a safety lecture here, but its not coming. You’re probably not going to dart in front of a logging truck just because you are wearing earphones.
But what you might do is go an entire day without turning the rusty gears of your precious gray matter. Think about it. Do you listen to music when you make the coffee? Do you plug in your iPhone and listen to a podcast on the way to work? As you climb in bed, do you have a TV running across the room? If so, when do your own thoughts get the floor?
You may not be Socrates, but your thoughts matter, and they’re worth letting out some times, if only to make sure they’re really yours. I take my thoughts out for a walk when I exercise. Maybe that’s not the right time for you, but I suggest you find a quiet moment somewhere in your schedule. Otherwise, like a Ke$ha song or a Michael Bay movie, your thoughts may end up just being a compilation of clichés you’ve seen elsewhere.
I ride in silence. Otherwise, how would I know if those voices I hear on the really tough climbs are mine or someone else’s? Thanks to riding sans earbuds, I know they’re the voices in my head.
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