Imagine if every individual were able to reach and maintain their full potential. Then had the means to combine their individual potential with that of others into something far greater than the sum of the parts. That something is society, and hearing is pivotal.
Because almost everything we experience in society assumes that hearing will be present – and that people will hear us first time, accurately.
Together we’re more
Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. Steve Jobs
When people come together, things happen. Ideas are born, problems solved (or created!), relationships forged, decisions made, and realities shaped.
As human beings we have this amazing gift in being able to combine our own own thoughts and feelings with those of others in a continuous two-way exchange of information—through language and music.
And for over 99% of the world, hearing is at the heart and soul of it.
At the hear-t of it
Hearing is crucial to social interaction, to business and commerce, to entertainment, to education, to healthcare, to government, to national security.
Consider how lectures are delivered, how interviews are conducted, how counselling is carried out, how meetings happen, how debates in Parliament take place. It all relies on hearing to be present, dependable and effective.
Because hearing is the thread that weaves society together.
Think back to when you last saw a silent movie, or tried to hold a telephone conversation with poor reception, or walked into a shop where they didn't understand you. We expect our interactions with one another to simply flow. No delay. No interruption. Something we can rely upon.
So if we are one of the 99% who use hearing as our primary means of human interaction, then we each have an obligation to keep our own thread strong and constant in whatever way we can. Society is depending on it.