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Why Deafness can be Worse Than Blindness?
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Hearing Loss |
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Deafness problems are complex and deep, if not more crucial, than those of blindness. Unlike what most people think, deafness is a much worse disability. For it means a permanent loss of the most essential stimulus - the sounds that bring language and understanding, set thoughts astir and put us in the civilized company of humankind. A lifetime in total silence is a greater affliction than being blind. . . . Hearing is the essence of knowledge. To be isolated from noises is to be cut off from civilization. For most of us, interactions to other people depend entirely on hearing and there is nothing that could be more important. However, our dependence on hearing ability goes beyond even that. It has been suggested that our connection with external influences takes place on at least three stages: primitive, warning, and symbolic.
In the primitive level, hearing offers a constant auditory background that provides us a sense of security and comfort. Even though we tune out most background noises (for example, the refrigerator motor running, the computer fans humming, the traffic noises), our unconscious awareness of these auditory sensations makes us alert, feel alive and being a part of a dynamic world. Background noises also become components of the “soundscapes” that enrich human live (birds chirping in the trees, children laughing in the distance, leaves crunching underfoot, waves crashing on the beach, ). The loss of these noises can leave us alienated and isolated, and may result in chronic depression. For many people, there’s an unconscious anticipation that actions will produce noises. To watch a glass shatters without a sound is disconcerting, like living in an old movie without sound effects. And our inability to pick up the sounds we make ourselves (for example, chewing, laughing, sneezing, or moving about) may be even more unsettling. Those who experience abrupt hearing loss often say that the world seems “dead” around them.
Luckily, most listeners lose only a portion, instead of all, of their hearing ability, and they lose it progressively. Although they miss most sounds of importance, they consistently hear enough of the auditory noises to feel connected to the rest of the world. Even when the hearing problem is quite severe, cochlear implants and hearing aids usually restore all auditory background noises, although an adjustment period is sometimes needed to actually appreciate that. It may take time for your brain to reorient itself in a world filled with so many sounds. As a matter of fact, new users of hearing aid frequently find the auditory noises annoying at first. Adaptation takes practice and patience. Similarly, when experienced hearing aid users get devices that handle incoming noises in a different way, our brains require another adjustment period.
At the warning level, noises provide information about what is going on near us, even in the dark places, around corners, and through thick walls. We don’t have to see the source of a noise to understand its substance or know its exact position. Knocks at your door signal the arrival of a visitor. Car horns signal potential dangers. The scream of a kid signals an unfulfilled need. Of course, our inability to pick up warning sounds creates the feelings of insecurity and anxiety. If you cannot hear the alarm clock, perhaps you won't be able to sleep well because you worry that you'll late for work. If you are a parent, you may worry continuously about not hearing your kid cry out. If you’re surprised by people suddenly coming out of nowhere without having heard their approach, you may find it hard to concentrate. Luckily, alerting devices are purchasable to solve most of those troubles. At the warning level, hearing is never switched off; it works day-and-night. The brain is always observing your environment, although when we are unaware of it. If noises of potential significance are heard, your brain pushes them into our consciousness. For instance, imagine yourself (with normal hearing ability) in a room where plenty of people are talking. You are having a discussion with a friend and you hear your name was called out across the room. Your focus was centered on the conversation with your friend; however your brain was monitoring noises throughout the environment. A sound of your name might be important; therefore it gets flagged for prompt attention. This unconscious observation system allows us to stay vigilant, even during rest. A drowsing mother can filter many sounds- even loud ones -yet quickly wake up the moment her child cries out. Hearing in this level also allows us to multitask. For instance, a parent may be cooking while focusing on the sounds made by a kid playing in a nearby backyard and can feel sure that the child is safe.
In the symbolic level, noise becomes the primary medium for communication. Not only our hearing enable us to detect speech, it is also possible to understand its meaning, even subtle shades of meaning. Virtually all individuals with hearing loss have certain difficulty at this level, particularly when listening conditions are bad (for example, with loud background noises). Fortunately, hearing rehabilitation, assistive listening devices, cochlear implants, and hearing aids may, for the most part, restore our ability to detect spoken language and understand its actual meaning.
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