18 July: History Of The Day Of Listening To The World, It's Time To Hear More

YOGYAKARTA - Every July 18, the world commemorates World Listening Day. This commemoration invites us to be more sensitive to the practice of listening to better understand the environment, society and culture around. More than just hearing people speak, today reminds us to listen to every voice on earth, from the flow of water, music, to bird tweets. This is the right moment to practice reducing speech and increasing listening.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of life at this time, listening becomes a self-consistent challenge. We tend to prefer to talk than to listen. In fact, listening with care means choosing to attend. This means giving time and full attention to someone without interruption. We need to rule out narratives or personal perspectives and try to dive into other people's points of view.

Listening is an art that requires full attention and patience, and is beneficial for those in need. It is also a powerful way to calm the mind and reflect on the world around us with a focus on sound and view.

For listeners, listening also improves skills and sharpens awareness of the surrounding environment. Ironically, even though our sense of hearing is vital, we often don't use it effectively, ignore a lot of sound and sound, and miss the message behind it.

Regarding World Listening Day, of course there is a reason why it was chosen on the 18th, summarized from various sources, the following is the history of World Listening Day.

World Listening Day is an annual memorial organized by the World Listening Project. This commemoration was first held in 2010 with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of listening to the world around us. World Listening Day 2025 falls today, Friday, July 18.

July 18 was chosen for coinciding with Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer's birthday, co-founder of the Acoustic Ecology movement. The World Soundscape Project, which he leads, has inspired many activities in this area. In addition, his book, Soundscape: The Tuning of the World, has defined many terms and backgrounds behind the acoustic ecological movement.

World Listening Day encourages people to pay attention to their acoustic environment, practice listening in depth, and explore how sound forms our experience and understanding of the world. In other words, this warning informs us of the growing interest in our changing acoustic environment.

Want to celebrate World Listening Day? Here are some simple ways you can do:

Take a moment today to listen carefully to the natural environment around you. Turn off your phone, go to the park, or sit on the balcony with your eyes closed. You may be surprised to realize how much sound you've never heard carefully before.

2. Hold a Listening Event

Hold a "Listen" event at your school, office, or community. In this event, participants can sit quietly for a moment and listen to natural sound recordings, such as raindroplets, sea waves, or forest sounds. After that, share experiences and discuss the importance of listening.

3. Reduce Voice Pollution

You can help reduce noise pollution with small steps. For example: turn off electronic devices when not needed, use enough loudspeakers, or plant trees, because trees can help absorb noise.