|| MAKE LISTENING SAFE ||

I am an Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathologist. I also represent the liaison committee for "make listening safe" by World Hearing Forum (WHO) but I am not going to talk about noise pollution where safe listening is needed. Instead, I am going to talk about make listening safe in our life and for our life. If a pot filled with water is kept on height and then you pour the water from it down on the hard surface. If you try to listen that it will make a lot of noise, some may like that noise some may not. But if the same pot is filled with flowers and you pour it down on a hard surface and try to listen, it will make minimal sound and spread such a fragrance that everyone will love it. You just can't think about leaving that place rather you feel like spending more time there. So, listening is important but how that listening spreads happiness, is more important. I feel in life we should listen to what makes us feel joy and also makes our life safe. Listening too much to higher decibels sounds affect our hearing, similarly listening too much too negative or unnecessary talks also affects our hearing of our life.

In books written for Krishna Leela, many of the characters (devils) were made to listen that they have to be careful about the power of Krishna's magic but they never paid attention to that listening. Kansa who was made to listen to the prediction that his death is by Krishna and he needed to be careful but he was always lost in his own pride and power and also never paid attention to what he was made to listen was right. He has to believe that what Krishna can do, as he is God, he can only make you safe and make your life safe. This Pandemic has made us listen that God exists and we must connect to him. Let's understand that hear and listen, what is good or bad for our life. Many youngsters have a question in their mind that does God exist??? I feel like giving one simple answer that you all are alive that itself says, "Yes, God does exist." If you connect with him your life will be safe and sound.

Let's wake up! tomorrow onwards with different mornings ask yourself every morning, "What is life about?" let's listen to the fan in our house which says "be cool," let's listen to the roof which says "aim high", look at the window and listen "see the world with your beautiful eyes," let's listen to our clock which goes "tik tok tik tok," all the time and says "Every minute is precious for us, make the best use of it." Look at the mirror of your room and listen it says "reflect before you act," look at the calendar which makes you listen that "be up to the date" and especially look at the calendar of 2020 and listen that now there is time, "you need to change." Push the door of your house and listen it says "push hard for your goals and that you can only do" and the last look at the floor and listen which says "kneel down, pray and be thankful for what you have." If you actually listen to all these simple things life will be so easy, happy and safe.

Through WHO and with the help of make listening safe committee of World Hearing Forum we recently published the article that 'Population is at risk due to unsafe listening.' This is not only said, for example, youngsters who excessively use the phone to write, to listen and to talk, in future they may spoil their ears or may have induced hearing loss due to listening music very loudly. If they don't listen, excessively using a phone to write may make them lose their relationships and their power of coordinating with their visual-motor skills. Also if they don't listen to the experience of their parents or seniors they may lose their identity and life soon. Listening with caution and talking with concern is the only safest thing in life. Eg. While walking on the road, listening to horn we get cautioned the same way we should listen to our God who made us, and the parents who are there to guide for our safety.

A very informative statement "the wall between ask and receive is built with judgement." Many a time we in our long-lasting relationships ask questions, and how we receive the answer creates a judgement according to our perception. A child who is just learning to talks may have some hesitations to talk; now, it depends on how the parents perceive and make a judgement about it. The parents who are anxious will perceive and will get worried about their child and will start looking out for solutions. Those parents who are hyper and sensitive will start paying more attention to the child and the child may continue with more hesitations to get more attention. Parents, that are happy and want to enjoy their parenthood, will be so excited that their child is speaking and enjoying the way he talks and will encourage him more. Your personality development gets developed by the way you listen, perceive and make a judgement about things. So, decide in life how you can make listening safe for your own life and the lives of others who are connected with you.

Dealing with hearing-impaired children, I realized the importance to make listening safe in life. We should learn from them. Though they wear hearing aids or cochlear implant and listen, they listen with their inner potential as well. Listening to normal people around them is only their happiness and for them to be part of a normal world, each and everything is so important. They are never bothered to listen to what people talk about them or they never listen to things which affect their life. They only listen to what makes them confident and teaches them to go ahead in life. They always believe to listen to what makes them feel existing and being a part of the normal world. Just sit and ask yourself, who is a better listener, We or those Hearing-Impaired kids??? You will get an answer to your own life listening.

There are top three standards of listening. In 2010, a personal amplifier having output was considered safe. In 2018, it was stated that personal music players equalling to 75 DB for 80 hours week are safe. Then in 2019, it was said that sound less than 40 hours with 80 DB weekly is safe. Now just see, lesser the hours of listening to loud, unnecessary or negative sounds will make your life much safe. Though the scientific revolution does take place but the spiritual or inner revolution in our life only, we can make. Our communication to the world or to the community or to our country is only dependent on the way we listen, understand and express ourselves.

This universe came into existence and then the humans. We were humans but the moment we started thinking and listening more and started racing with each other we started disconnecting and started separating through religion and also each and every place developed politics & started dividing us. Today, we have started classifying each other through our wealth but in reality, the only safest way to live a life is to listen to each other’s needs and also to the directions given by God. If we start doing that then maybe the time will come when we will become humans again and God’s listening for us and our listening for God will give us the right direction in our life. So making listening safe for our life is only and only in our hands......