Noise, by Aryae Coopersmith

When I get to the redwood forest, the trees welcome me with the ancient eloquence of their silence. I’ve been away so long I’ve almost forgotten this feeling. My heart fills with tears of love.

Friday evening at the campsite, I silently prepare to answer them with the ancient eloquence of the ritual Shabbos (Sabbath) meal — candles, wine, challah, special foods, prayers and blessings.

Then comes the noise. The insistent, dominating whine from the camper that’s just pulled into the next camp site. I try to ignore it, to still my mind, to return to the loving gratitude of the ritual. I can’t do it. The noise is now dominating my evening. What to do?

A couple of years ago something similar happened. I felt upset and angry, walked over to the family in the camper, and asked them to have some consideration for other campers and please turn off their generator. The man had looked at my angry face, then at his wife and teenage sons, and shrugged. “The park rules say I can keep it on till 10:00,” he said. And he did. The noise drowned out my peace and serenity for the rest of the evening.

So I sit there surrounded by the noise, contemplating lessons I’ve been learning all my life from friends and teachers. I get up and walk over to the camper. There’s a couple about my age, the woman sitting outside reading, the man inside preparing dinner. I take an instant to look at them, to imagine their lives, their struggles and their hopes.

"Hi," I say. "I'm camping across from you. Beautiful evening, isn’t it?" We introduce ourselves. He does most of the talking. She looks frail. Turns out they’re from Southern California, on their way back from visiting their son in Oregon. I tell them about my daughter and granddaughter in Portland.

"I’ve been wondering how long you’re planning to keep your generator on," I say.

"The rules say we can keep it on till 10:00," he answers. I just nod, without saying anything. He looks around at the campgrounds, mostly tents. "It’s pretty quiet here, isn't it?" he says.

I nod again. "I think that’s why a lot of us come here."

"Well, I don’t know, I guess we can turn it off after dinner, in about an hour or so." He looks over at his wife. She nods.

"Well thanks," I say. "I appreciate that. Enjoy your dinner!"

"Thanks. And you enjoy yours too."

Back at the campsite, I say the blessing and light the candles. The noise from the generator is still strong. But the noise in my mind has gone, and I'm able to be peacefully present in the silence.

A few minutes later, I notice that the outer noise is gone too. I walk back over to the camper. "Are you guys okay?" I say.

"Yeah," he says, "I just shut it off."

"Well, thanks," I say.

He stands there a moment, looking a little awkward. "I just decided, I don’t like the smell!" The three of us laugh, and then talk some more about our kids.

Aryae Coopersmith is the author of Holy Beggars and the founder of One World Lights (OWL), a community of global citizens with the shared vision of people everywhere supporting a course change for humanity by supporting each other.

Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion that the noise in our minds can be quieted before the outer noise ever stops? Can you share a personal story of a time when approaching someone with genuine curiosity about their life - pausing to imagine their struggles and their hopes - changed what might otherwise have become a moment of conflict or distance? What helps you make that small but significant shift from leading with your grievance to leading with your humanity, especially when the outer noise feels like it's winning over your inner peace?

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Add Your Reflection

9 Past Reflections

Craig

Jun 30, 2026

Several years ago, I moved into a new apartment in Seattle. A few days after my move, around 11:00PM, just as I was falling asleep in bed, my next door neighbor started playing house music very loudly; we shared a wall, and his speakers were right up against that wall, and the whole wall seemed to vibrate with his music. At first I was outraged by how disrespectful he was to start playing loud music so late at night. I gathered the courage to go next door and pay him a visit and give him a piece of my mind. But as I put on my bathrobe, I realized that if I show any sign of anger, it would make for a terrible introduction to his new neighbor, and our relationship would start out on the wrong foot. So I tried to swallow my negativity and knocked on his door. An exuberant young man opened the door and invited me in. I asked him if he could turn his music down, and explained that my whole wall was vibrating. He did so, apologizing profusely. He then explained that he was a professional DJ, and he was setting up his musical line up for the evening. His palpable passion and love for the dance music made a great impression on me; he LOVED his music and his job so much, and he couldn't wait to share it with the others at the dance club or rave that night. I left his apartment infected with his passion, even though before meeting him, I would never say I enjoyed that type of music. The next weekend, just as I was getting into bed, he started playing his music again, just as loudly as before. But this time, when I heard it, it came not with anger, but with the love he shared with me toward it. Feeling this love as the whole wall was vibrating, I was able to fall asleep surprisingly quickly! It continued that way every weekend for the whole year that I lived there. Just like Aryae Coopersmith's story, it's so easy to project negativity onto people we don't know, but when we actually get to meet them, get to know them, and learn something of their point of view, what was at first another person's "noise" can even become a kind of lullaby. Hide full comment

Shyam

Jun 30, 2026

A few years ago I had gone to attend a Vipassana retreat . The center was in an isolated area and it would be quiet most of the time. However , at 5 am in the morning , when were meditating, the sound from a mosque of Azan would come .
The first day I was disturbed , getting irritated and waiting for it to end.
It would happen everyday and the irritation would happen.
On the fifth day, I realised why am I spoiling my meditation. Its after all a call to begin prayers. Why do I find it disturbing. Can I not welcome it. and the irritation vanished. I would not even get affected by the azan call and could continue my meditation through it.

David Doane, author of A Psychotherapist's View of Reality

Jun 30, 2026

The noise in our minds is the dominant noise. When I quiet the inner noise I don't notice or am not bothered by the outer noise. Noise is sound -- we are the ones that learn or experience or define certain sounds as noise and other sounds as pleasant, just like we determine that certain plants are weeds and other plants aren't. I believe there is beauty in all existence and it would be good for me to see beauty in all sound and all plants and in all that is. Sadly, I can judge a person positively or negatively based solely on their appearance, and many times have done that. As I get to know the person, I've many times realized how wrong my initial judgment was. Eventually I learned that initial appearance was for me outer noise, and I've made the significant shift, at least to some degree, to meeting the person for who he or she is which begins some closeness between us rather than distance. When I make that shift I feel much greater peace and contentment within myself.

Janet Heartson

Jun 30, 2026

We have a small room in our home that is sound proof. My husband uses it to record audio books and I use it for clients to have a sound bath. When anyone walks in and feels the silence, they visibly relax, take a deep breath and say Wow, it's really quiet in here (or something like that). Sometimes we have a dehumidifier or a fan and I feel myself get tense and have to breathe into my inner peace, but at least it's rythmic and consistent. We also have motorcycles around in the summer and I find myself resenting their souped up motor sounds. I'd like to think that I am impervious to what is on the outside, but I know I am adversely affected quite a lot. If I notice it though, I can shift it with my breath. In the Dances of Universal Peace there is a Buddhist change that is disharmonious. I used to hate it, but after a while, I was able to accept it. In your story though, it seems that after having a loving exchange with someone, what they did was less of an issue. They listened to yo... View full comment

Gail flynn

Jun 30, 2026

I guess I'm more sensitive to sounds rather than noise .I love birdsong ,find it soothing but loud voices vying for attention I struggle with .I love the wind ,soft gentle voices ,the harshness I keep away from

BarbaraS.

Jun 30, 2026

Just recently, here in our new community we moved to just a couple of years ago, we were walking around the lake and tossing peanuts to the squirrels which we thoroughly were enjoying them. Some lady came up and was rude, telling us you can't feed the squirrels even though there is not signage, only not to feed the ducks. She went on to say the squirrels get emboldened and bother them on the pickleball courts which I thought was really not happening, like they were going to bite their ankles while playing ball. I was very annoyed. It was a few weeks later we saw her again with her handicapped husband in a scooter and they asked to play a bocce ball game. We did this a couple of times over the a period and got to know them a bit and come to find out he has dementia and had many strokes. I felt really so much compassion her as his caregiver and for him as he realizes he cannot do much anymore. So many people have their own life issues and it's easy to make snap judgements. Getti... View full comment

Monica Samuel

Jun 29, 2026

My home is surrounded by the sound of construction and it makes me feel very restless and frustrated sometimes. A few days back, after coming back from a retreat where my inner work also goes on, I noticed I wasn't feeling as agitated. On reflecting, I realised that the inenr noise had settled and therefore the outer noise felt less disturbing. After reading this post, I am imagining the many workers going about their jobs, in the heat and rain, many of them away from families, the deadlines they have to meet, and the homes that are being created for people to soon fill with their many stories. My breath relaxes. My heart feels more expansive.

Gururaj Jun 30, 2026

Well related. So true that when inner composure is there (from reflections, understanding, meditation), we are better able to take outer discordances in our stride. A good reminder to make it a daily practice

Craig Jun 30, 2026

That's a lovely sharing, Monica. Thank you. For ten years, everywhere we moved seemed to have some major construction project going on across the street or next door soon after we moved in. The first month almost drove me crazy. But then I tried to imagine is that, when I hear construction going on outside my home, it's a reflection of my inner "house" being expanded or maintained. For example, something in my unconscious is tearing apart its foundation and rebuilding a new, stronger or larger foundation, or adding a second story, or just doing regular maintenance to keep my inner psyche strong. Over the years, the sound of construction became a good omen as I fathomed that I was listening to my interior home expanding and getting stronger.