I find that people these days are unable to enjoy the beauty of quiet. Every other person I see on the trail while hiking or jogging is plugged into some form of music or another. Whatever happened to enjoying the quiet of the trails, the chirps of the birds, the tweets of the crickets, and the gurgles of the waterfalls and streams?

I have never hiked with music as I enjoy my time in the woods in its original state. When I hike, it’s as if I go into a meditative state where I just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other in a continuous motion. What annoys me is hikers who blast their music on a radio, disturbing the quiet, and thinking that everyone else shares their taste in music.

I’ve hiked varying distances of between 20km and 100km, and so far I’ve survived without being plugged in to a music device. I had a friend who discovered she had forgotten to bring her iPod before a 27km trail race, and unable to face the prospect of hiking several hours without music, she promptly went to buy a brand new one before the race. Insane. A few weeks ago, I was in the lift with a colleague and she was so distressed when she discovered she had left her earphones at her desk which meant she couldn’t listen to any music as she walked to her lunch destination. I found that ridiculous, as if an hour or two without music entertainment would kill her.

When I told my friends about my trip to Mongolia and how I lived without Wi-Fi for 10 days, most found it incredulous. It was something they couldn’t contemplate and said they could never do it. While technology has broken down many barriers in communication, it has ironically also shackled us to it. While our way of life now in the developed world has made technology indispensable in our work and social lives, I think it’s also important to know when to unplug.

Anyway, just some musings on a Sunday morning.