Neighborhood Sounds

Sound.

What is sound?

Sound is a sequence of waves of pressure that propagates through compressible media such as air or water.

No, no, no.  What I mean is, what is the significance of the sound we hear?

My new neighborhood has a lot of new sounds.  Some may see them as disruptions to the peace and quiet of home.  But if one is attentive, these sounds can tell time.  They can be prayer reminders.

Elementary School

At 6:00 a.m. the flat, monotone temple chanting begins.  But even before then, buses and trucks rumble down the street.  The sound of children greeting their friends in the school yard begins around 7:30. 

Bangkok Southeastern High School

Not long after that, the high school school marching band begins warming up.  First, a tumbleweed of random noise, then tuning, then scales.  At 8:00 sharp, the Thai National Anthem is played by the band while a group of students sing along.  Everyone else stands still to listen and pay respect.

Kitchen View

All day long the clank and bang of a nearby construction site comes through our windows (open or closed).  The people working there have families, worries of their own, daily challenges and joys.  The loud speaker from the school announces more activities and instructions.  Noisy motorcycles zip along the road.  The occasional laugh or child's cry from the apartment complex floats by. 

Chinese Temple

As the sun starts to get sleepy, the sounds change.  The Chinese temple is having an event.  Music and a blurred microphone voice saturate the neighborhood, competing with the local karaoke bar.  The shouts of street vendors advertising their tasty treats cross paths with the screech of tires grappling to get home through traffic. 

Buddhist Temple

When the stars (all six of them) light up the dark sky, the sounds are more dull.  An airplane overhead, cars on the expressway going home late, the drone of neighbor's TV, and the low hum of fans and air conditioning units.

We could look at these as interruptions or ignore them as sounds of our world or hear them as prayer requests, calls for help, peas for relief, reminders of the hurting and lost world around us.

Welcome to my neighborhood.  Will you pray for it with me?

Temple Parking Lot