Today’s essay is an edited version of an address I hope to deliver to the Kiwanis next month.
Not to worry, Kiwanis, my quota of words here is 650 and the speech, so far, is 2 650 words. I’ve already used up 42!
Your peace and quiet these days is directly dependent on the attitude, behaviour and lifestyle of your neighbour.
You’ve lived most of your life next door to a pleasant old lady whose greatest noise was the occasional mowing of her lawn by her visiting grandson. She dies and new neighbours move in after a few months. And they bring four Jack Russells, two Akitas and a stereo system capable of 1 000 watts of musical energy.
And your life changes dramatically.
Although we support the absolute need for legislation against noise pollution, The Society For A Quieter Barbados is more interested in persuasion, in education, in convincing Barbadians that the volume level need not be so high.
Noise is unwanted sound. As its name suggests, noise has many unpleasant and harmful effects. It has been documented by folks more qualified than The Society For A Quieter Barbados that noise can cause hearing loss, stress, sleep loss, lost productivity, and a general reduction in the quality of life and opportunity for personal and collective tranquility.
There are many Barbadians whose hearing is in decline, but they don’t know it. The Ministry of Education made the startling revelation nearly five years ago that there were more than 800 schoolchildren with various forms of hearing impairment. This is cause for great concern. I wonder if any action has been taken.
Noise is among the most pervasive pollutants today, and the problem is getting worse.
Daily, we are exposed to louder and more frequent sounds – noises from motor vehicles, construction equipment, law-breaking ZR vans and minibuses; all-night karaoke sessions; out-of-control alarm systems; dogs barking and howling all night, marauding modern-day Mongols terrorising law-abiding citizens with their two-wheeled weapons of mass pollution (noise and carbon monoxide) any time of day or night – to name a few sources of unwanted sounds that are routinely broadcast into the air.
Equally important is that peace and quiet is a basic human right. You have no right to invade my privacy, my peace of mind, in pursuit of your pleasure and entertainment.
But the issue is more than noise. It’s about respect for one another. As we acquire more and more comforts, Barbadians are going to have to work out an acceptable modus vivendi if we are going to live in relative harmony on this 166-square-mile plot.
The noise problem is islandwide; it’s affecting people from all walks of life. Not only – as some mischievously suggest – those who live in the parks, and the heights and the terraces. Some people feel trapped in their homes in Pinelands, Bayville, Haynesville, Silver Hill, Bush Hall . . . all across Barbados.
The world would be an ideal place if there was no need for laws. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. There will always be need for laws to keep in line those who have difficulty behaving themselves.
We’ve recently started constructing high-rise housing across Barbados – some four- and six-storey apartment buildings.
Any Sunday morning soon, expect to hear the occupants on the first floor deafening those on the third with the music of Skeeter Davis, while someone on the fourth replies with Patsy Cline at maximum decibels. Not to be outdone, a tenant on the top level will be drowning out those below with Charley Pride!
This Barbadian society will become more and more crude, unmanageable and unsophisticated if we fail to appreciate that it’s the protection of our environment – all aspects of it – that will make the difference as to whether we evolve into a developed community or just another noisy, unruly spot on Planet Earth.
Peace on earth is becoming more and more elusive.
Have a quiet Christmas . . . if you can.
