A colleague who sits near me often has a small fan running on her desk. Whenever she switches it off I realise, very suddenly, just how noisy it is. Yet when it's running I'm completely unaware of it. It doesn't in any sense rattle, it doesn't hum, it doesn't make any obvious noise, but as soon as it's off you're aware of the absence of a something that had a presence that was apparent to the ears. I don't find it in any way disturbing, yet there's a kind of easing of the air once it stops working. It feels as if it should come as a relief, but there was nothing to be relieved of.
It's the same sometimes in our apartment early in the morning. Around about 7.00 am something outside and above switches off and it suddenly becomes quieter, but there wasn't any obvious noise in the first place.
The way we hear, or don't hear, is brilliantly selective. It's a dangerous talent.
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