About Sound for Life

Our Mission

As mentioned in my message on the homepage of this website, I founded Sound for Life as a charitable independent organisation after getting tinnitus as a result of having to block out incredibly excessive neighbour noise by using media played loudly through headphones so that I could continue to work from home running my own small IT business. 

As a result of that very difficult situation I now have permanent tinnitus that presents as slight ringing in both ears that has subsided somewhat in time, but was still very difficult to deal with in its early months. My intent with Sound for Life is to spread awareness and implement support and policies that can help to provide support to those suffering from tinnitus or similar conditions and to help prevent this from happening to anyone else. 

Those Most at Risk

In an increasingly crowded and chaotic world humans are being exposed to more human created noise than ever before, sometimes rarely experiencing the peaceful sounds and tranquillity of nature. Media such as games and movies are increasingly more complex and loud with shooting based media being particularly risky for harsh noise overexposure. Young children are playing games in which they shoot realistic sounding guns, sometimes hearing thousands of gunshots each week, which has potential to cause cumulative damage to their hearing.

Many adult gamers have been playing loud games for decades and may not realise that their hearing may not be as robust as it once was. That it can be damaged overnight, or after one long period of being engaged in loud media, especially when using headphones. Ageing gamers may need more awareness and protection regarding their hearing when gaming.

Poor people and those in developing countries are often disproportionately affected by noise pollution, having to live in closer proximity often means overlapping soundscapes, in not having a quiet place to escape to, as many others in better situations are fortunate to have.

Headphones are often used to spare others from noise, but may be damaging the hearing of those that use them habitually playing loud noises, particularly if they are using them as a form of escape from other invasive noises in their environments.

As cities and towns become more and more populated, more people are living in closer proximity than ever before, in a high population density area, one bad neighbour can extend misery to dozens of other people who have no way to escape. People who have the most neighbours around them need to be the most considerate of all, yet often show little concern for the people around them.

How We Can Help To Prevent Noise Pollution

Our goal is to encourage community spirt and good neighbourhoods via spreading awareness about the dangers and effects of excessive noise, to educate and encourage children and young adults to protect their hearing and to be responsible about when and where they make noise. To encourage good manners and respect among the young and the wider community as the true virtues that they are for the benefit of a better society.

Sound for Life would seek to update outdated rules regarding the right to peace and quiet in one's own home. To empower the police to have greater leverage over any problem causing neighbours that are proven to be a repeated noise nuisance to their neighbours and local area. To implement harsher penalties for those that repeatedly create excessive noise, especially during the evening and night.

How We Can Help Protect Our Hearing

Take more time to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature, we are missing out on so many wonderful sounds by living in towns and cities, the gentle breeze of the wind through long grass, flowing water from a stream. Nature provides so many soothing and healing sounds.

We will encourage media companies to employ implementation of quiet modes in media to allow people to enjoy games and movies without harsh gun and explosion sounds, or similar. To provide silenced or reduced options for people in those situations so that they might be able to play that type of media without disturbing others or without using headphones that could potentially damage their hearing.

We advocate for the implementation of AI guardian systems on media devices that can monitor a person's overall usage and any impact it may have on their health of any kind, but particularly their hearing. These would be of particular use for parents seeking to provide more protection for their children when they can't be there to monitor their usage.

To suggest that civics should be a far greater part of children's education than it currently is and to encourage civil behaviour and personal responsibility all the way through adulthood. To educate people that polite and respectful behaviour will open many more doors and will ultimately make the lives of an individual and those around them all the better for it. 

Sound for Life is dedicated to providing a better future for all of us through encouraging kindness and the promotion of a peaceful lifestyle.