Nature
and Culture: Nobody's Listening
(an excerpt)
In
Nature every creature listens. They listen to each other; they
listen for prey and predators. No being would dare make a sound
without listening first. Their lives depend on it; their ears
are an antenna for the world.
In Culture no one listens. Everyone shuts out the sounds they
don't want to hear. We put on headphones, close the door, change
the channel or just tune out. Our antennae are down.
And since no one is listening to the sounds around us, they become
uglier, more harsh, and unnatural. Then Culture listens even less.
This is why we have a growing legion of people who mindlessly
follow--never listening as they rustle the leaves, never finding
their prey, and never sensing their predators. This is a very
dangerous thing.
© 1999 Bunita Marcus
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