EARS that may not hEAR in later yEARS!

Since the day people started walking with a Walkman and the gadget evolved into Discman and now MP3 and MP4, the latest technology in digital music, plugging in a set of ear-piece into the ears is a common sight on the streets, in the public transports and even in the lifts.

Some would even turn the volume to full blast and it is certainly not a pleasant experience for those passengers sharing the lift with them or sitting next to them in a bus or a train as they could even hear the noise emitting from the ear-pieces. To the person with ear-piece plugged in, it is music, but to the person beside him/her, it is simply irritating noise. Most of them are just too absorbed with their music that they don't even realise the noise pollution they are creating to the people around them. I think it would be good for people to be more considerate especially in public places.

Often times, many pedestrians on the road especially the young ones, if they cannot hear your bicycle bell ringing, you can be pretty sure that their ears are plugged with the ear-pieces. I think the pedestrians should put their own safety first especially when on the road, it could be hazardous when their ears are plugged and bombarded with loud music and they simply couldn't hear the approaching vehicles or any potential danger.

As the present young people age, I think many of them would be suffering from hearing problems as the ear-drums are being constantly and consistently struck with loud sound within such a small and enclosed aural canal. The short-term listening pleasure would certainly create a long-term pressure on the ear-drums.

Why risk the hearing? I know of people who because their hearings are semi-impaired, not totally-impaired yet, are already creating lots of emotional stress at home when they cannot hear clearly and communicate appropriately with their family members. Their inability to hear clearly would inevitably force the family members to speak much louder than normal, and sometimes it could be misconstrued as raising their voices, and that itself could trigger an argument or quarrel. So, if you treasure family harmony, take good care of your ears.