Environmental Education - Feeling the Pain
On seeing the children play with electronic toys that make electronic noises – I thought about how much they are missing and what kind of an education and conditioning they are receiving. The sounds that our ears evolved for millions of years to hear are the sounds of the oceans, the wind, the rustle of the leaves, the rain falling, the gentle voices of people, insects and other animals, all of whom have been evolving for as much as a 1000 times longer than the human animal's time on earth. How the sounds of the city deprive children of those sounds, how computers, television and radio take up the space of their minds and senses, not only inhibiting their ability to perceive, distinguish and enjoy those natural phenomena, but even more perniciously, conditioning them to accept these sounds as a natural part of their surroundings. No wonder how noisy things are these days! But perhaps we can try to spend a little more energy and creativity to give these children more than just the sounds of an electronic beep or telephone to store within their growing minds.