Awareness

I lived in Bangalore for several years, including when the city witnessed huge growth, largely owing to rise in software and supporting industry jobs in the early 2000s. There was a small and narrow bridge connecting the Outer ring road to Whitefield, one of the software hubs, which used to get jammed during commute hours. Drivers, often needlessly, honked. I remember being stuck in one such rush hour morning traffic over that bridge, and hearing drivers honking. I didn't feel annoyed or impatient; rather, I remember being at peace with myself, all the while listening to the cacophony of honks. It was an Aha! moment — there's noise only when we expect the sound to occur in a particular way. If we simply observe without expectation, even traffic sounds in Bangalore rush-hour is music. Okay, I am going too far — let's rephrase it to being easily tolerable.

There have been other instances when I have heard noise and have not perceived it as such. Besides listening without prejudice, I have another hypothesis why I didn't get annoyed — I was not preoccupied with thoughts like planning, mulling, or ruminating. How fortunate that I witnessed evidence of what I later read in books about awareness!

When my boy was very young, perhaps in pre-school, I used to tell him that there's music in everything. His eyes would lit up and with a mischievous smile, he'd beat the table or whatever was in front of him, to make “music”. Even now, as an eight year old, who is learning piano and ukulele, he never shows even a minor annoyance when notes go out of order. I believe this is true of all kids — they really do find music in everything and it's primarily because their senses are much less obstructed by prejudice than adults.