Evolution through Audio

If you close your eyes and just listen, what will you hear? The sounds of cars rushing by, a jet airplane maybe, construction work, or even the sound of a phone ringing. There may be beeps and honks, beats and bops, rings and buzzes. This is the sound of the future and we are currently living in it. Now imagine this. You suddenly hear the sound of an animal roaring. You would immediately open your eyes and be scared out of your wits. You would also be pretty confused by the anachronistic sound.

A human being adapts to the environment he or she is currently living in, in every possible sense. They get accustomed to what they see daily and what they smell, touch and hear. They get so used to their everyday routine that one incomprehensible change, big or small, can result in fear, confusion, or disorientation. This is because we evolve with our environment or more suitably, our environment evolves with us.

We can definitely see this evolution through the fast modes of transportation, comfortable commodities, and the rapid, ever-growing e-movement. However, more interestingly and perhaps if we are more observant, we can also hear this evolution. If during the Paleolithic Period, that is, the earliest period of human development, the same sounds of jet airplanes or phones dings were heard by primitive humans, they would probably be very confused too. The same sounds would probably be met with uncertainty in the late 1800s as well.

Every period has its ambient noise. Anything that does not belong raises doubt. We can see the evolution and we can feel the evolution. But we can also hear evolution. We can hear the technological advancement and we can hear the change in societies and the way of life. An era can be understood through sound, just as much as through speech and sight. We can hear time through movement. We hear fewer birds and more footsteps. We hear more rushed conversations and less laughter.