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Neighbourhood noise: The kinds I try to embrace and those I can’t
Besides negotiating with neighbours or the authorities, another way to survive a noise-filled, densely populated city is to embrace certain loud sounds.
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The World Health Organisation defined sound levels above 65 decibels as noise pollution and said constant exposure to anything above 70 decibels could lead to hearing impairment.
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The squeaky shrieks from a little child (“Help me! No! Help meee… Haha!”) were confusing to hear as they wrenched at my heart and flooded my body with adrenaline. But I fought against leaping to my feet with concern because I had observed that the child was just playing in the neighbourhood while supervised by either a very patient or defeated adult.
Tough as it is, this is one kind of noise that I choose to bear with, even as other kinds lead me to march out of my home to have a quiet word with someone about it.
