The Sleep Of Reason Produces Monsters - Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
Why with all the technology has Noise-Induced Hearing Loss become the #1 Disease in the world?
There is a very famous painting by Goya that depicts a man sleeping, in his slumber he is marauded by all manner of creatures of the night.
The title of the haunting image is, “The sleep of reason produces monsters.”
Unfortunately, in 2018 where we are as technically proficient and as savvy as we have ever been, this depiction is something that is relatable in our current world.
I believe in the mindset that attempting to talk about the meaning of art defeats its purpose,
I do want to draw a parallel between this painting and what I see in my everyday life.
The common interpretation of what this piece of art is saying is that when you allow your reason to sleep bad things happen.
Which means that ignorance in its purest form is inherently evil as that ignorance does not allow the offender to understand that they have a choice.
Or the evil is not noticed as it is not perpetrated by any one person but by a mentality or an ideal.
This pure form of ignorance is embodied in cliche but ever poignant statements like, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
And why we still to this day have calamitous problems throughout our natural world.
So in the name of those who have stood for something in their lives we at Big Ear feel that we have the platform to speak about an evil that is being perpetrated every day.
As you read these words, this injustice is afflicting most of the individuals you know and the next generation and their children.
The evil I am pontificating about is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, and yes I do understand that Noise-Induced Hearing Loss when compared to the horrors of famine war and pestilence that exists in the world, seems like a ghost in a bed sheet.
However, in the long term, any form of Noice induced hearing loss can lead to major complications for those who are afflicted and will if nothing is done by those of us in our species, lead to millions of premature deaths and other horrible conditions that can all be avoided.
I do understand that our companies mission is not a holy crusade to fix all of the world’s problems and when you put our work into perspective we have had and will have a very small effect on the inhabitants of this massive world we live in, and we are ok with that.
It does seem in recent years that we are in a world that is obsessed with changing the world and leaving a massive impact on every person alive as there have been a very select few who have had that ability (Think Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Jeff Bezos, Neil Degrasse Tyson, and Bill Gates).
We have found in our experience (Which may be jaded and skewed) that change takes a very very long time and the change that we want to put into motion may not be realized in our lifetime, the lifetime of our children’s children or ever.
But that is not a good enough excuse to not try and do something about this invisible crime that steals away so many precious years and special moments. So what is the evil that we want to defeat, I touched on a small part of it earlier with my dramatic interpretation of Goya’s painting, and I identified the physical condition (Noise-Induced Hearing Loss) which is the result of the crime, but I did not touch on why Noise-Induced Hearing Loss still exists and is an accepted condition in our species.
And I must be fully honest and explain that we do not have the answer as to why people choose to not protect their hearing, and we have been doing this for 15 years.
There is a disconnection between the habits that cause Noise-Induced Hearing Loss which is a debilitating disorder.
It’s is now defined as a disease.
A side note if you scoffed at that last comment, please do me a favor and visit a tinnitus help group, have a conversation with someone who is hyperacusis and find the joy that they find in life, or sit down with someone who has hearing aids and ask them to tell you how much they love them.
It’s obvious that Noise-Induced Hearing Loss causes strife in life and it is our companies objective to make life better, but it is up to those who read these words or hear our words to take steps in the right direction as the changes you make to your lifestyle now will echo in the later stages of your life.
And that is the big picture goal that we have for anyone reading this; it is our ambition to change one habit that’s all.
The habit is tricky to master as it is not apparent because it requires you to put up a barrier while at the same time expressing a vulnerability.
This elusive habit I am referring to is the habit of wearing hearing protection for sleeping. (Pause for effect) You heard it right hearing protection, the sleep of reason the dramatic buildup culminates to you physically placing a piece of silicone, wax, foam or any version of hearing protection in your ears when you feel discomfort.
That’s it, that is the action that we have given our lives to.
But it does not start with the act, where proper hearing conservation begins is with knowledge, just like any other learned ability the act of protecting yourself begins with you learning first about why this action is important followed by the reciprocation on your side of seeking out answers and the circle is closed by both sides providing the other with the tools they need to make their lives better.
On your side, it is a baseline hearing test that identifies your hearing levels and on our side, you provide us with the data that will inform us on the habits you can take to ensure that you do not cause yourself future damage or the information to help you not further the damage you have already sustained.
That’s it that is the big picture, we want to help, and nothing else hurts us more than having the tools to prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and no one using them.
So we vow to attempt to awaken your reason, however as change goes in our species it is up to you the individual to take the positive steps forward for the betterment of your fellow human.
We must wake up
