The World Health Organization has argued that "excessive noise" is a serious threat to human health.

Studies have shown that excessive exposure to noise not only causes hearing loss but also leads to heart disease, poor sleep and hypertension.

In some parts of the world, a mysterious "droning sound," similar to a "a diesel engine idling nearby," has been described as "torture" for the small percent of the population that can hear it.

I'm a scholar of early Christianity and my research shows that monasticism developed in part because people were seeking the solace of quiet places.

But for them, like us, it was a struggle.

Ancient philosophers on noise

To give just one example: The Stoic philosopher Seneca described in great detail the noises coming from a bathhouse just below the room where he was writing, expressing his irritation at the distracting "babel" all around him.

At the end of his letter, he says he has decided to withdraw to the country for quiet.

Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers frequently regarded noise as a serious distraction, one that challenged their ability to concentrate.

Noise and Christian monasticism

There were many reasons why Christian monasticism developed.

Ancient Christian writers, like John Cassian, claimed that the origins of monasticism lay in the examples set by the apostles of Jesus, who gave up everything to follow him.

Some modern scholars have argued that monasticism was a natural development following the early history of persecution of Christians, which shaped a view of suffering as a key way to show one's dedication to the faith.

While the origins of monasticism are not entirely clear, scholars do know that Christian monks drew upon philosophical views about noise and distraction and, in some cases, chose to leave the cacophony of urban life for the wilderness.

Even when they stayed in cities or villages, writings from this time period show that they were seeking a life free from the distractions and burdens of society.

Take, for example, the story of Paul, a young Christian in third-century Egypt, identified by his biographer, Jerome, as "the first hermit."

Jerome says that Paul "amid thunders of persecution retired to a house at a considerable distance and in a more secluded spot."

The story of Antony, a contemporary of Paul's, is written by the Alexandrian bishop Athanasius, who describes how Antony was left burdened by caring for his sister after the death of his parents.

Distracted by the crowds of neighbors demanding access to his parents' wealth and property he chose to leave his village and embark on a life as a hermit.

Noise in the desert

Noise came in many forms. In "The Life of Antony," for example, demons thunder, crash and hiss.

Although the descriptions of such sounds might seem to be auditory hallucinations, the texts do regard them as real, not fictional.

Monastic rules and sayings instruct monks about the dangers of human speech, laughter, and even the noise of children in monasteries.

These texts emphasize the importance of silence in two forms: a quiet environment in which monks can concentrate and also refrain from too much speaking. Many of the sayings urge monks to "keep silent."

Seeking silence

But even as these stories suggest that Christian monks were choosing solitude by going into the desert, the same stories show that silence was not to be found even in the remotest desert wilds.

As the reputation of Antony and other monks from Egypt spread around the Mediterranean, the stories of Antony complain that "the desert has become a city."

Too many people, it seems, sought the wisdom of the hermits and created a distraction akin to city life by taking pilgrimages to see them.

The challenges of noise and distraction were, in fact, always part of the monastic life.

And so it remains to this day. One of the ways that monks and nuns have dealt with this challenge is by cultivating a sense of inner silence and inner stillness through practices like meditation, prayer and sitting in solitude.

In Greek, the language of the earliest Christian monastic texts, the word "hesychia" is used to describe the "interior stillness … that brings forth all the virtues" and over time it comes to be a central goal of Christian monasticism.

The ancient quest for silence can perhaps teach us how to respond to the challenges of our increasingly loud world and find our own silence.

• Kim Haines-Eitzen is a professor of Early Christianity at Cornell University.

New Zealand representative pistol shooter Raymond O'Brien and his wife Victoria Pichler are opening what they say will be the southern hemisphere's best shooting facility.

"The Mediation Centre hosts up to 1,500 meditators a year. They attend a 10-day residential courses and are not meant to talk for the first nine days.

"This is a very beautiful valley and extremely quiet. It offers a pristine and tranquil environment for our students. We don't know how it will affect us," head meditation teacher Ross Reynolds said.

The gun club, two valleys away, will eventually sport 30 gun ranges - including two shotgun ranges and a 300 metre rifle range.

Residents in the wider rural community of Makarau are also concerned.

"We can hear their bell as they start meditation classes so they will certainly be able to hear any gun fire," said Lesley Rowntree, one of the 15 lifestyle block residents and immediate neighbours of the new gun club.

Another neighbour, Chris Allen, fears for the safety of his two young children and is also angry at the prospect of the noise.

"They say the sound would be like rainfall on the roof, but who wants to listen to that all weekend."

O'Brien say he is between a rock and a hard place - wanting to be a good neighbour, while growing shooting as a sport in New Zealand.

"I approached the council asking where an appropriate piece of land with the right zoning would be.'

"Acoustic testing has been carried out and we're below the threshold."

"A bird call from 10 metres away is 60 decibels, while our readings were 48 and lower."

"There is a demand for a facility like this - it's a growing sport and if we want to be competitive in it we need a facility that will foster training and growth."

Source

• www.stuff.co.nz
• m.nzherald.co.nz
• Image: nz.pinterest.com

Stop Containers Through Kohi opposes container trucks travelling through Orakei, Kohimarama and St John's to reach the depot in Morrin Rd in Mt Wellington.

The group says drivers should use a motorway route instead.

Noise and difficulty getting out of driveways are some of the difficulties cited.

Ports of Auckland head of communications Matt Ball said the organisation encourages truck drivers to use the motorway, but it doesn't have the power to direct them to do so.

But the chairman of the port committee for the National Road Carriers said the protestors' concerns are not backed up by survey results.

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Bishop Kieran Conroy, who chairs the England and Wales bishops' evangelisation committee, said he "strongly discouraged" priests from intervening to prevent children talking during Mass.

Bishop Conry, the bishop of Arundel and Brighton, said it was "dreadful" that in some cases children had been ejected from services for being too noisy.

His comments came after an incident during a Mass at the London Oratory in 2010, when Fr Ignatius Harrison, the provost, said there was "no point" in him preaching against the noise of babies.

At the time, some Church figures defended his actions, saying parents should simply exert more discipline over their children during services.

Bishop Conroy's comments came as the Church in England and Wales published research showing that "trivial obstacles" were preventing Catholics "reconnecting" with church.

He said interviews with dozens of baptised parents had shown that there were "clear and everyday things" that could be done to encourage people to attend services.

One of those factors was recognising that the sound of children was a "really good noise" to hear in church.

Bishop Conry suggested that tolerating noisy children in church was in line with Pope Francis's emphasis on the importance of families.

"Pope Francis is saying that the family is at the heart of the Church. The family is children - that's what families are for."

"Church is not for my generation, it's for all generations, and I would never comment on children's noise in church and would discourage any priest to make any comment.

"I've heard awful stories of priests stopping the service and saying, in effect, remove that child. That's a dreadful message to give out."

Bishop Conroy said it is important that children don't associate church with discipline and fear.

The research cited other factors which put parents off going to church such as non-family friendly Mass times and the impression that parishes are run for older, regular church-goers only.

Many of the 146 respondents said they were more likely to go to Mass regularly if there was a good children's liturgy and if they were personally invited.

Many also said they felt they had a connection to Pope Francis, and appreciated the Church's "spiritual benefits".

Sources

• The Telegraph
• The Tablet
• Image: Catholic Key