I live in Tasmania, one of the Earth's last great wildernesses. The silence where we live was scary at first, now we hate leaving it.

I remember telling a friend once, that sound and light pollution are probably the two of largest stressors in everyone's lives that nobody seems to talk about. Light pollution in particular would be so easy to deal with honestly.

Quietness is so relaxing, but some people get uncomfortable by silence. Great documentary in telling a story about the impact of sounds.

I've always wanted to have a sound proof room in my house just for the fun of it but now you've encouraged me to do it for my health and sanity

I recently moved from a very rural area with almost no noise, to Philadelphia. I am having trouble getting used to it and know I never will. Others say they are used to it and yet they are so stressed. They aren't used to it, they are just blind to it.

I am extremely sensitive to sound and stress. Even a balloon pop makes my ears ring so this is very important to me. The reality is saddening :(. No wonder there are so many KZfaq videos of audios of calming sounds as people don't really have access to them irl anymore.

This video resonates. When I’m desperate for silence I find it extremely challenging to find a quiet place. It’s relieving to hear that there are people who work so hard to protect silence. Gratitude 😊

I used to go caving before caves started closing down to slow the spread of white nose syndrome in bats. The thing I miss the most about it is the times I could get everyone to sit still and turn off their lights. Those brief moments of quiet darkness are so rare. It's been years, now, since I've been able to experience that. I always wished they could last longer, but other people find darkness and silence extremely uncomfortable for some reason. Lately I've been feeling extremely stressed by all the noise around me. I have to sleep with a mask on to block all the light around me and listen to white noise ASMR to drown out fan noises, air conditioners, and traffic noises. I'm not even in a city. I'm in semi-rural Arkansas. The few times I've visited cities, I've found sleep nearly impossible. How are people so disconnected from themselves that they don't recognize how impactful sound is on them? During the day, I do all I can to minimize my volume. I mow my grass with an unmotorized reel mower and trim tall weeds with a scythe. I split firewood with an axe instead of a hydraulic splitter. I have a treadle powered grinding wheel for sharpening tools instead of a motorized grinder when they need a lot of work. And I work from home when I can to avoid driving. Sometimes I can't avoid making noise when driving to work or cutting a tree to length. I have been experimenting with an old crosscut saw to potentially replace my chainsaw and toying with the idea of coppicing for firewood instead of relying on the big trees around me that are dying to beetles.

Here in Norway you can find silence many places. Its obviously more difficult in the biggest cities, but there is a lot of untouched nature here that stays silent. They are the only places where Ive experienced 100% quiet, absolutely no sound. In the winter all the snow and the trees covered in snow supress the noise, and at nighttime it literally cannot get quieter outside and its absolutely magical.

I lived in Washington State for 17 years, and going to the Olympic National Park was where I always went to get away from people/society. He is correct; you have to drive all the way around the park, there are very few roads that go a LITTLE into the interior, but most, NOPE, you have to go by foot. It's incredible to listen to a waterfall alone in the woods. SCARY, but there is a fantastic feeling to have the silence of artificial noise and hear nature. Your stress and anxiety literally disappear in minutes.

I remember once when I went on a field trip to a very remote area. The quietness is unforgettable. No car horns, no drones that you just tune out, no noises of cars on roads, just complete silence. It’s impossible to imagine until you’re actually there, and I recommend everyone to go somewhere that’s silent and experience it at least once, because it’s a good experience.

I used to live in a village in Poland. Sometimes i heard tractors, dogs barking, cows, hens of some other sorts of animal, but I still loved and love to this day when i go back to the fields and I hear NOTHING, but wind, flies, and wheat. It's comforting. BTW I was very much positively suprised by your shots man! The marker scene was amazing!

I live in Auckland, NZ and I find it quite easy to just stroll through our native bush with no man made noise. The fact that I can do that is something I have never really thought about/cared to think about. This video shows just how blessed I am to live in this beautiful place.

I got chronic tinnitus when i was 17. My mind has learned to drown it out since then but when i first got it, the thing i complained the most about, the thing i cried over, wasn't that it hurt, but that i wanted silence back. I live in a small to medium sized city, so both sound and noise pollution are relatively high. True silence likely isn't a thing i've expirienced since the last time i was in a more rural town's wooded area. And now with tinnitus....i likely never will again. All the sounds of life drown it out but if i truly try to listen, it's still there. Silence is something people don't appreciate until it's taken away from them, i know i didn't. I'm glad to see that there are people who care about it and (hopefully) don't have tinnitus. Silence is a thing that needs protecting so that those who can still enjoy it...can.

Great story. About 30 years ago I was backpacking on Bogachiel Peak in Olympic NP and we ran into a solo hiker who was there for this very reason. He had tinnitus and the park was the quietest place he could find. Thanks for the video, your work is extraordinary!

Just recently talked about this subject with a buddy of mine while walking through a forest. It's insane how bad it has gotten, and truly a shame that it has :/

The interview added so much depth to this, and the topic is such an interesting subject that needs to be brought more into the light. Thanks for making it!

Many places in remote national parks are still full of silence ... basically the absence of noise. So quiet on one trip to Islands in the Sky - Needles District, I could hear my watch ticking, heart beating, & soda bubbling in my can. It's a different sort of existence but I thouroughly embraced it 🙏 No cell service, no phone, no TV, just my thoughts.

As a student who can’t drive, I sometimes find myself craving silence but having access to none. I want to check out those articles so thank you for linking them, some of it seems difficult to back up some of the claims but it sounds very interesting

This is the very reason why I visit the Scottish Highlands or Snowdonia each year - to escape and find peace and just be. There are areas in the Scottish Highlands where on a calm day you can soak in the views in absolute silence.

I live with someone who can’t go an hour without listening to something on their phone loud, so everyone else can enjoy it too. For someone who loves silence and solitude it’s quite unpleasant.

I think that's why the only thing that makes winter bearable is the silence. I can just stand outside under the snow and it's almost like it mutes everything. It's strange but I feel like I almost become nothing in silence. It isn't disturbing, but it isn't comforting, it's just sorta like becomign aware and being at peace.

The moment the new neighbors across the street moved in silence was lost forever. The rainforests of Hawaii can be quiet but mostly at night. One of my favorite and most difficult hikes that I've been doing for over 30 years is so quiet. I hike it at night on the way to the vent. 5 hours of bliss. Once it's light out the tour helicopters invade the skies. Now even the main summit area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park allows numerous helicopters to fly overhead constantly during eruptions. I like to record audio in the park but it's only quiet at night. No birds like you hear in the morning.

Fantastic video, Aiden! I could easily have watched you cover this topic for an hour or more. As a resident of the metro Atlanta area; I can confirm that human made noise pollution is a major problem and a huge negative for living in the Eastern United States. Great work, as always. Your videos are among the small handful of content creators that I watch as soon as I see them pop up!

Dude I love every single one of your videos. The way your voice sounds when you tell something is amazing. Your shots, compositing, color grading, and sound design is so smooth, clean and beautiful. It just makes me wanna dive into your video. Such an inspiration, would love to see more videos like this in the future.

Two of my favorite things about spelunking are practicing cave silence, and cave darkness. If you appreciate the silence of the forest, you'll be shocked at how much quieter nature can become below the surface. It's difficult to describe the sensation of your eyes searching for any sliver of light and finding none, it's quite pleasant.

Silence is the main reason I go camping in non official camping grounds. People go camping with loud generators, boats, chainsaws, radios and are just being loud in general. Winter is even quieter from where I'm from, since most people that aren't enthusiastic campers tend to stay out of forests in cold temperatures and unplowed trails. Snowmobiles that can go quite deep but usually they don't camp so nights are incredibly silent. Even the night sky is getting more and more polluted with satellites (namely Starlink) and cities/people using incredibly strong LEDs to light up their driveway all night long. All this comes down to respect. Respect for the nature around you, recognizing you're visiting an incredibly old entity that was there for milennias before you came. It doesn't need you and it probably doesn't want you either so being as quiet as possible really is a form of recognition that you're only an unwanted guest. The forest didn't called you in; you imposed your presence. Respect for other guests around you that have understood this and act accordingly. Respect for the animals. If you want to be in contact with fauna, just shut the hell up, look and listen. You'll see and hear, guaranteed. Just ask a hunter how he feels about his mate next to him cracking a beer and eating chips... Thanks for this video! I hope it's "ear opening" to people, even more so to new people who wants to go out camping for the first time in a long time or ever... Public forests aren't you're property; you're a unwanted guest. Remember this.

Thank you for making this video. I saw this when it first came out, and ever since then, I've always wanted to visit Hoh. Today I just visited it for the first time. This park is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

The dense inside forest view is stunningly beautiful

Damn, every aspect of these video is just stunning and i mean that. The camera shots, the script, the idea how to express what you intend to say with these videos, interviews i just could keep going. Its nice to see that some people on this platform still do things for the sake of doing it, not only for money or attention. Idk but this thought makes me genuinely happy.

I grew up on an island called Styrsö outside of Gothenburg Sweden. I remember the nights being so peaceful when almost everyone were sleeping (you could her a select few mopeds sometimes but not often), the light polution is MINIMAL at all times so the night sky was amazing. Ofcourse we had some noises during the day, everything from boats, mopeds, bikes, chainsaws, lawnmowers etc but it was for the most part quiet out there, very peaceful, especially during winters. God bless the places that are still peaceful and quiet from humanity’s urban areas ❤

I grew up in Alaska. I hated the life but the sights and sounds defined me. Eventually I moved to Chicago where I met my wife. For whatever reason, it came up one night with me talking about Alaska and the sky at night. Turns out she’s never seen the Milky Way at 34 years old. That broke my heart. Beyond the light, she’s never heard REAL silence and that destroyed me

Not too long ago, I went on a short trip to a place in my country where we were far enough from any settlement to not hear anything. It was both beautiful and weird, it was so quiet it felt exactly like putting your head underwater.

I experienced something similar to this when I went to Kapadokia in turkey, it felt almost alien the landscape, but the silence was peaceful. I went ATVing with my friend and once we got far enough, we cut the engines and just walked around, it was almost completely quite, and snow had just started to fall. It was so calming.

The slow shutter speed choice was genius. Well done as always Aidin, great content

I actually appreciate how some shots are filmed with a low shutterspeed, it makes it feel more realistic and makes me appreciate the scenery through your camera more. 3:54 Looks like you were only there in a moment for the forest by the way Aidin is blurry

Such a beautiful and inspiring documentary, I'm really glad I found it. I'm 16 and strongly believe that quiet is how the world should be enjoyed. I wish to experience quiet more and more, as that's nature, that's what we've been here to thrive in for millennia. I have always loved the quiet. Being aboriginal, I would experience silence when my uncles would take me out bush to the Grampians, the Victorian Alps etc. Being able to experience that silence, to take in the true beauty of the earth, of nature, changes you. A lot. Every time I experience quiet it changes me. It awakens your soul, let's you see the earth for what it is. The silence should spread. I'm planning on taking my girlfriend to the silence soon for her to experience what I consider true natural beauty. Everyone needs to experience it. Silence is natural, and that is beautiful. Have a good life everyone who read through this ramble. I hope you have or will experience true quiet. We all need it. Stay safe everyone.

Thank you so much for this video. It's so amazing how something so "simple" as silence is so important and yet, we just take it for granted. Love your all your videos :)

I love getting outside. Hiking and backpacking is one of my favorite pastimes. Getting away from all the problems, the stress, becoming one with nature. I love it

I took a friend who had lived in London and Birmingham his entire life to Ennerdale Water in Cumbria on a very cloudy, close day and the thing that stood out most for him was the total silence. Having sat at the top of plenty of fells over the years taking photos, the good feeling that comes from being surrounded by silence is among the best. Great topic and video

one of the calmest and relaxing Video i've seen, this is so refreshing since every youtuber now try to be energetic like mr beast style to attract younger audience

Awesome video Aidin! I have noticed this trend of increased noise overall recently myself. I'm trying to get out to more places that are peaceful and quiet. This past summer I went camping in what might be one of the quietest places in West Virginia... It was incredible, especially at night. There was next to no light pollution too, which is rare for the east coast, and I could see the whole milky way whist sitting in my hammock, listening to the sound of the trees slowly whispering in the wind. God's creation is so beautiful! I hope that I can visit Olympic National Park one day too, to experience that environment firsthand.

I feel like I should've paid for this. This production quality is surprisingly high and covers an interesting topic that's relevant to us.

Your colour corrections are absolutely stunning. I feel so many unintelligible emotions of solitude and loneliness yet it's actually comforting. Such a mesmerising video,

I have the same feeling towards the Himalayas but was never able to pin point exactly why. This explains a lot. I can see the amount of work you put into this video, the sound editing, the shots, the script. Great work!

Something from my heart, I have been struggling with this from a long time. May be some people are more susceptible of the noise around. My place is at very busy and noisy road and peace for me is like a luxury. your work is always soulful and feels like truly something I can deeply connect with.

This is exactly why so many of us seek out wilderness areas, well done.

I live in Southern Germany Baden-Würrtemberg to be exact I've been to the Black Forrest on basically a monthly basis there is nothing better than getting truly lost and sitting by a creek or a river and just reflecting I think that everyone should have the option to enjoy the silence of nature like the people here.

Incredible job on this video. I have always unconsciously desired escaping to true silence, but i think you rightly point out that what i really wanted was freedom from man made noise. Thank you for bringing this to our attention

Really well done! One of my favorite things about living and exploring rural New Mexico is the quiet away from city noise. Well, that and the dark skies we get at night too.

Norris Dam state park in East TN can have this level of quiet during the winter when the dam is closed. No boats, not many cars. Bliss. Great video as always!

The sound of silence in a deep forest is the most beautiful song of all. Awesome presentation. 💚⛰️

This is such a beautiful video. I watched it twice today. The effort and love you put into this really gives the viewer the direct feeling of why these silent places are so precious and worth protecting. And just in 10 minutes! I'm in awe and I look forward to watch your other videos. By the way: In German we have a word "Waldeinsamkeit". Translated directly it means "forest-lonelyness". It describes this feeling of being by yourself in the forest, searching for the silence, peace, and for being alone in the woods.

I hate loud engine noises. I live in a national forest but with highways running through... most of the time you can hear loud car engines from the highway all day long. It's so disappointing.

Great video. I grew up in an area of 400 acres many many years ago. So quiet. I wish I could go back.

the way your videos are shot is just *chefs kiss*

I rarely comment but I've watched all your videos and just wanted to say how impressed I am on how you always manage to level things up and find new ways to improve your videos. Beautifully done but also really informative, thanks! 🙏🏻

Alright, this is one of the most brilliantly made videos I have ever seen. I was engaged till the end and when you said you will return again to the forest, I was like wait it's over? And I checked the timeline. 10 mins passed and I was fully immersed in the world you crafted, sailing along your serene thought train. Might not be that significant but you have one more subscriber now.

my old hhouse is extremely quiet at night, it's in a small city so there's,no air traffic, it's in a small forest and it's far enough from the road that you can bearly hear the street noise, it used to make me scared wen i was younger, and now that i live in a big city, i apreciate the time that i get to spend there because it's so much more sound poluted and this video made me apreciate it even more.

This documentation of places and feelings attached to it ,is so Pure. This is really good.

As always an absolute visual and audio masterpiece!

After hearing the first clip; of "silence" I just sat here and cried. I have sound sensitivity syndrome (Misophonia) and as noise pollution is one of my main triggers its so hard to deal with on a day to day basis. Silence is just so...beautiful, I really apreciate this video spreading awareness. ❤❤❤

Great cinematography. Amazing video man.

During the winter I went backpacking out in Colorado and one night it was so quiet that I started hearing my heartbeat. I have never been in area that quiet before

The opening is straight out of a zombie apocalypse movie😍🔥🔥🔥

This video is amazing. I can't really put into words how peaceful the ambience of this video makes me feel. Being able to do that while also making a valuable argument is brilliant. I didn't even know this was such a big issue, but I know how much silence helps my mental health and stress levels. Thanks man!

I love rain for one big reason. It is the one time man is quite quiet. Id love to visit some of these places.

Peace and quiet is one of nature's best gifts to us as a species

this world is a disaster. we're doomed. and we're suffering for it right now, until we all burn in a few years.

Dang man. So well done - love that you’re drawing attention to this. Hit me in the feels at the end 🥹

This video is so informative and interesting. Trying to fall asleep with the sound of a train blowing is so irritating. Knowing that there are silent places to retreat to is amazing!!!!

I live in Québec, Canada. There's this park called Fjord du Saguenay close to Quebec City. I once went in Saguenay for few days one winter and I didn't check properly if the park was open to public. It wasn't. I ended up spending the day alone with my snowshoes, the wind blowing in between the trees and within the Fjord, the sound that chunks of ice make when rubbing and hitting one another, and nothing else. To this day, it is one of my best memories. I do hope everyone gets the chance to experience this. Thank you for your video

Absolutely beautiful. You give such an immersive experience to your audience, I’ve barely experienced my mind shift to other places. You kept me hooked. You’re a genius to be making such films, there’s not many people doing it. Keep it coming man. Appreciate it.

damn, guess im lucky to live where i do, cause you can pretty much go anywhere in the mountains and have complete and utter silence. not a single sound. especially in the winter when there are no birds or bugs out.

Well... another place from your videos has been added to my bucket list. Thanks!

You said, that you are feeling the experience of emptiness.Because you listend with all your senses. Many people are not aware of this great experience because they rush through such a beautiful location having goals in mind and not enjoying the moment.

I went to this wine estate in Napa once. It was far up in a mountain. Self sustaining farm and all that. Away from the city. When we got out of the car, I closed the door and the silence was breathtaking. My ears adjusted to try to hear something. Eventually I heard a low buzz. It was the bees around the flowers nearby. I could HEAR the bees. I felt like I’ve been missing out on my own planet all this time.

Noise cancelling headphones

I live in the Olympic Peninsula. In fact, I can almost see the lakes you filmed from my house. Storm king is a 30-minute drive away. I can attest to the silence that exists there because I've lived here for my whole life. Let me tell you a little story about it. You dont have to take the sentiment seriously, but i think it will shine a light on just how unique it is to be in this area. A couple years ago, I turned fifteen. There was a day soon after where i felt a heavy dissociation. At the time i did not know what that feeling was, and i tried to connect pieces together of what that feeling really meant, and it wasn't working. A few days after that, I decided to go on a long walk. Alone. In two feet of snow. Thick snow was falling. There is a road connecting to our driveway that heads in the direction of Lake Southerland, and i decided to go that way. I looked at the scenery around me as i walked, trying to make sense of why i was feeling this way and what it all meant to be in the world. I knew what was back there on that road because of taking a few drives and walks with my family there, but there was also logging road there which i had never explored. When i reached the base of it i kept on going, walking and walking up and up, not really caring how far i went, i just wanted to be alone and away from everyone else. All i remember hearing was the "scrunch scrunch" of my boots hitting the snow, there were no birds or cars or anything to keep me occupied on what was around me. All the motion i saw was the moving of my boots and the snow falling. All i felt was grief because of all the thoughts that were swirling in my head. The steep land around me was scattered with tall trees that stood out in the white sky above the snowy mountains in the distance. Everything around me was a pallete of gray, dark blue, and darkgreen, pretty much exactly like this video. Getting higher up, the trees thickened. Eventually, I was met with a crossroad. I could either keep going up or turn sideways onto a road that opened up out of the trees. Knowing i shouldnt have been gone for so long already, i took the side-road. I reached the end, and when i stopped walking, I couldnt hear anything around me. It was such an amplified feeling of aloneness that took me up there, where i found in that moment that i could just think without distraction. I had never felt a silence of this degree before, not even on the hiking trips to Lake Angeles with my friend where virtually every normal sound was absent. If i had rubbed my fingers together, i would have heard the friction. I was high enough and far enough now that i could see above Pyramid Peak, far beyond what any sound below could have reached really. I felt that i could have shouted as loud as i wanted to and that no one would have been able to tell where the sound of it came from. I remember the moments up there so vividly because of the feelings associated with them, but i look back on them now and i see the importance of that silence that i am present in, especially in that particular place. It is a special thing to be able to go to a place that no one was normally allowed or able, with that special silence that much of the world lacks. Watching your video, it really showed me how much of a blessing it is to live in this beautiful area of the country, as i have always thought that there are areas with this type of natural silence which you can find everywhere if you look hard enough, when in reality it is something that is growing steadily more absent. It really sheds a light on the topic to be fed the information by a person not accustomed to it. This is a beautiful video that perfectly describes what it is like to be here. Thank you for it :)

The first and only time I had the pleasure of experiencing quiet was on the shore of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park just before dawn. Jackson airport didn't have any flights come in, and no one else was there. The only word that can just barely describe it was serenity. Good luck on the quiet zoning folks.

When I watch your videos, I can escape my thoughts. Even if it's just for a small moment in time, I enjoy it. To develop such a unique style in such an overcrowded space where everything seems like it has already been done is an amazing feat. As always, you inspire me more and more to create my own as well. Thank you

There should be more spaces in the world dedicated to this.

Homie makes KZfaq videos that have better footage than most high budget documentaries. These videos are so beautiful

I am not sure what exactly is the reason, but every one of your videos bring tears (the good sort) and peace into my heart and mind. I am going through quite stressful times and I actually never realized how I miss nature, peace and silence. I hope I will find time to come back to exploring it once everything calms down a little bit.

space: ☕🗿

I live in Norway... it is really easy to get away from noise pollution.

I live in a village within a 100km radius of Delhi in India. I still remember back in 2013 or 2012 how much quite our village was. There still was calming sounds coming from a railway track 3 km away and the planes were a complete menance, they would just vibrate the hell of everything or it seemed to be. But since then many things have changed, A new expressway has been laid in the southern fields of my village and the duration of power supply has increased in my District headquarters and nearby rural areas. I still remember how crazy the night sky looked like. But now when I look in the north-west direction there will be a orange blob of light coming from the district headquarters situated 5 km away and it blocks the whole night sky in the NSW quarter of the sky. The only constellations I can see after keeping my eyes in the dark for several minutes are ursa major and Orion. Noise pollution has increased so much that we usually don't even notice a plane flying by. I wish we could go back to the old times but still have good medicine.

Heading that way tonight for a 4 day back packing trip. So amped after seeing this and very much excited to enjoy some peace and quiet.

I remember there was a time a few years ago, I had told a friend that I was dealing with severe stress and anxiety, to which he invited me to a nature reserve and when we went out there, there was a bit of a breeze and autumn was just setting in. About halfway through the walk, it was like someone unveiled this beautiful canopy of bright orange tree tops scaling above our heads, and I took a moment to stop and take in a deep breathe, and in that small moment I immediately felt calmer, more relaxed and didn't feel strain anymore.

This is one of the biggest upside to electric car technology advancing and someday expanding through all of our society for me as they made comparatively make no sound when operating, imagining walking through my city without traffic noise ... is honestly bewilderingly pleasant beyond my capacity for words, whole different thing . Really appreciate your videos Aidin and crew they allow visage into such beautiful isolated worlds and our place within and without them, thank you.

Beautiful video. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

such utterly stunning cinematography & colour grade work in this. admirable.

I saw this place come up on my Windows start screen one day and was absolutely mesmerized by it. This is one of the places i'd like to visit before i die.

Every time i watch one of these documentaries i come away feeling some kind of way these are so incredible i dont know how he does it but its really great

Me, stepping out on my deck with a coffee and a joint buck ass naked while watching this, looking out over nothing but trees and wilderness as the wind gently rustles the leaves and pine needles, an occasional pinecone drops and bird calls echo in the distance... Naw mate, it's all a matter of decision. No one has to force themselves to live in a city or somewhere crowded. My neighbor (Kinda, he's a couple miles back down the road) used to live in NYC scraping pennies and clamoring through the rat race until he had enough, sold literally everything and moved out to the country. Had a temp job and cheap housing to get himself established then opened the most reputable mobile vet in the county that allowed him to get back on his feet and live FAR more comfortably than he ever was back in NYC. Point is, YOU chose where you live, so don't settle and find a way to make it work for you

I live in Stockholm Sweden. I sometimes travel up north to my families house about 2 hr away from arvidsjaur. It is so far up north that i have never seen a plane fly overhead. Really gives this feeling of silence and isolation. Especially at night when its just you, the stars and the endless black boreal wood

Got tinnitus, so silence is something I yearn for, but will never achieve. Its sometimes so maddening, I suffer from Insomnia, so sometimes I would lay in bed for hours, the only sound I could hear is a high pitch EEEE, not much you can do about it, either dont think about it or end it. Oh god how I miss the silence.

I grew up in a relatively quiet beach town, but I've been living close to downtown in a very loud city for the past few years. Not only the typical road/air noise, machinery, etc, but a lot of people who just seem to really love noise - engine revving and modified cars, lots of music blasting and bass bumping, I even feel like a lot of folks here just talk and do things louder than I'm used to - and while I firmly believe to each their own, I just don't get the attraction to noise at all, perhaps because I'm not used to the urban environment where I guess you've got to either tolerate the commotion or love it. I certainly tolerate it, barely. I'm starting to realize how I've felt a lot more on edge since moving here, and while there's probably a whole host of circumstantial reasons for that, I definitely think the lack of genuine quiet is a big part of that. The closest I get to genuine quiet is at the public library - even alone inside my apartment, I often can't go more than a few minutes without being interrupted by car alarms, loud cars, helicopters, the neighbors' max volume tv, or even my own air conditioner which sounds like it could give a freight train a run for its money. I was shocked but not surprised to hear in the video that noise pollution can cause/worsen so many health problems and even contribute to premature death - that's the first I've heard of it, but I believe it. I constantly feel on edge in this urban environment, desperate for a quiet and peace that just isn't possible here. And if I'm painfully aware of it, I can't imagine how many people are suffering not only in "silence" (pun intended) but in ignorance of what this noisy world is doing to them. Forgive me if I'm letting my crunchy flag fly a bit too much, but the more I think about it the more horrified I am at how great humans are at creating a world that is awful for us and the rest of the planet.

I have autism and struggle a lot with noise pollution due to the sensory sensitivity that comes with that. I've also been lucky enough to live very close to the Hoh rainforest for a brief time at one point. I was the most functional I have ever felt during that time. It's such a shame to see that that's changing, but I wasn't even aware this was a topic I could be advocating for and vocal about until this video, so thank you for the insight.

I spent 2 nights this fall camping outside of a small self-sustaining town of 10 residents in southern California. The silence was so deafening during the nights that it was hard to sleep. One of the most interesting places I've ever been.