On a bit of a whim I decided to get a cheap packet of ear plugs with a purchase I was already intending to make. I did not do this out of necessity. There are times when I do want silence and this is not fully possible due to other people. Usually in these circumstances I would put on some music to drown out the noise; for at least if there is sound, I want it to be sound that I can control.
Ear plugs seem to take this issue of control even further. I have found myself wearing them at times that extraneous noise would not even really bother me. The fuzzy vibration of them and the cutting off of the sense of hearing allows me to focus to an even greater degree. Even if the outside noise is at a minimum, completely blocking it out noticeably helps me to work.
Wearing ear plugs is quite a unique sensory experience. It is amazing to rap your hands on your desk and not actually be able to hear the result. I would liken it to being at a very loud concert, singing along except completely unable to hear yourself. It forces you to question how real those actions actually are. I would not posit that just because I cannot hear something, it is not happening. However, the experience of clapping your hands is a very different experience to clapping your hands when you are temporarily deaf.
My only problem now is a growing addiction to these ear plugs and a wariness of enjoying this retreat away from a sensory, tangible world.
-The English Student
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