Somehow, there can never be silence.

You know there's always sound -- on a bus, the infernal chatter of the passengers (can't they shut the hell up?!), the engine, the wheels, the other vehicles...

At home, you shut off the aircon. The fan. The television. You unplug your iPod. You mute the laptop. And the radio.

Then you become aware of it -- that sound. That ringing sound, that whiny sound, that high-pitched noise --

You're not imagining it. But people go mad after prolonged exposure to it.

Why we can't we bear the sound of silence?

Is it that hard to sit in silence?