The science of audiology was born a mix of Helen Keller's multi-handicapped experiences along with the electronic technologies of Bell and Tesla and the methodologies of military communications specialists and radio operators.
Of what relevance is this science to devotional service? Not necessarily much ? Maybe more than you at first think?
- Do you find an associate or a loved one frequently asking you to repeat what you said, when others seem able to hear you?
- Do you find that you yourself cannot hear what others say when there is a little bit of interfering background noise, yet others seem to be able to hear well enough in that same situation?
- Do you simply usually require people to speak louder than normal, or play TV or other recordings too loud for others' comfort much of the time?
- Are your children slow to learn langauge and interact at an age-appropriate level with others, or possibly not talking at all* ??
These above are symptoms of hearing loss.
*( A child between age 3 and 7 yrs. should use an average number of word in their spoken sentences as is their age. In other words, within normal limits of language development is for a three year old to use on average three words per sentence. etc., up to age seven. This is a rough indicator.)
Communications depends upon hearing and speaking. Sravanam kirtanam, we say, the processes of devotional service. Vishnu smaranam, pada sevanam.. dasyam shakyam... If we are impeded in our hearing, the first item of devotional service and of learning to speak, then we cannot speak nor "remember".
Hearing requires systematic sequential processing of sounds at multi-brain levels, in a tree-like formation like the tree of life of the kaballah. There are cross-over channels etc. between right and left brain hemisphere sections, via the auditory cortexes of the brain and auditory nerves, and integration between specialized processing regions, and then there is understanding, via the whole brain and especially the neocortexes and frontal areas, and also Heschle's gyrus area above the left ear. Then we plan to speak, as tongue placements, breathing patterns, resonance characteristics of the individual's mouth throat and nose, and noise conditions nearby, all taken into consideration.
These are coordinated via the moral considerations and past memory and experience and intents functions, and so plans the action, the speech to be made, then quickly actually executes via these and more multiple muscle systems, both stimulatory and inhibitory at balanced play, to produce sounds; muted or alterred, and adjusted live as we go, by our perception of our own speech as we "talk" Without any of these we will not be very successful in our communcations exchange. All this is remembrance, smaranam. Thus, we come to hear, speak, and " remember ".
There is both memory and discrimination required for this intelligence. The cycle is self-reinforcing, as we hear ourselves and monitor our own speech, and again search for meaning, and strive to express it adequately to others. Language, the ability to meaningfully exchange services/love, through mutually accepted arrangements and modulations of sound, is at the core of human love in that sense...
Audiology has shown that a child given a minimal threshold level of stimulation, as with, say, the sounds and rhythms and meanings of human speech, will themself begin to speak properly in due course and without unnatural delay. In other words, the stimulation needn't be rich, it can be minimal, as we seem to have a built-in capacity. As above, so below! The jiva has the qualities of the Source of Life, Sri Krsna, Who is most communicative.
There is not the tabula rasa, ie blank slate, of psychological theory, of the Pavlovians and the Watsons and Cricks, the behaviorists. Rather, at least in this most essential of human behaviors, we have an inborn innate capacity requiring the right turn-ons, and "voila !", there we are, the language skills are there, as if by predestination. We are like unto Krsna, the best of communicators, the One so expert with all sorts of language both humans' and all sorts of animals' and birds' and alien' etc. Because we are sparks of Him we are also communicators, we are not merely blank slates waiting to be painted, not in the large part!
Similarly, if we hear attentively truth from the authorized source, then all the processes that follow in terms of internal brain-center language processing and self-identification and self-monitoring, are based upon reality. Soon, the id, the ego, subtle and gross, i am the controller, i am this body, becomes also real, we wake up, having the innate capacity as jiva souls. We do not require an enriched forced indoctrination; no. No "artifical imposition upon the mind" is required. What is required is abstinence from material activities and things, ie no more karmic activities and instead positive constant engagement in devotional services to Srila Prabhupada. What is required for most of us is re-hearing, this time from the authorized self-realized souls, then engagement in positive activities of Srila Prabhupada's devotional service.
Those meanwhile who cannot hear, let me know, perhaps as audiologist i can assist. And for those of us who need to hear, then please enjoy the videos of Srila Prabhupada onsite. In both cases, we shall try to take advantage of our natural innate capacities, our God-given abilities, in hearing and "chanting", to achieve the goal of maximizing our loving interactions with Sri Krsna and His worlds. Hare Krsna. Thanks for listening !
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