If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?

This is an age old question.   When I was younger, my automatic answer was — of course!  As I’ve aged, the answer gets more illusive.  Does sound exist if ears do not exist to hear it?  Is sound a by-product of the ears?  As in — if our ears were constructed another way, would actions produce the same sound/noise?  Would a cello sound like a cello … or would the sound manifest differently?

If no human ears are present in the woods when the tree falls, is the noise the same, different or non-existent?

Thoughts.

The same principle can be applied to many things.  The one I have been thinking about a lot recently is this — if I don’t post about the roses my husband sent me for Valentine’s Day, did the roses exist?  … And in turn, if I am not posting about the minutia of my life on social media, does my life have value?  Is value derived from applause?

There are arguments to be made that it does.  We seek approval, we seek praise — those are good validations of our existence and they can be achieved by merely posting photos (and the occasional video!) on social media and then counting the number of hearts (or thumbs up or whatever).  I can successfully quantify my life via social media.

Should I?  Is it healthy?  Is it necessary?  Is there more value to a life lived publicly for approval and validation than a life lived within the four walls of one’s house?  Solely for the pleasure of oneself?

Giving up social media has made these questions front and center to me.  I find comfort in just existing without strangers reinforcing my life choices.  But sometimes, I also feel lonely.  As though I need that validation to continue existing happily.

Forty-seven days in, and I’m wondering if I’ll ever go back.

Xox, g