Lyrics from “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel.
Actually, I like the rendition by Disturbed best, but that isn’t important here.
What is important here is that most people do hear without listening. Of course, it doesn’t help that so many people talk without speaking … especially on the internet (more about that later).
Are these distinctions without differences?
Talking is mutual communication and speaking is one way of doing that. The context of the song makes the distinction clear … communication without speech and therefore, presumably silent.
On the other hand, hearing – strictly speaking – is the purely physiological process of receiving sound. Listening means actively apprehending those sounds and making sense of them. To hear without listening is a different kind of silence – the silence of minds.
Soon, a new school year will start. I will be doing a lot of talking both with and without speaking. My students will be doing more than a little hearing without listening, but I will make my best effort to help bridge that gap.
There will be time for some sounds of silence in my classroom. There is precious little silence these days … a different problem than what Simon & Garfunkel (or Disturbed) were indicating.
More anon …