This is a great point! Like you say, it’s not really about the language-learning side of it, which is what this article covers, but I agree with what you say. So much in fact that when I was younger, I used to go out in the forest myself for a week without no input whatsoever. It was not a silent retreat or anything like that, just a rule to not read or listen to anything. I felt that this had many positive effects, among other things on creativity. I can’t really do this kind of thing these days, but I also run or walk without listening to anything regularly for the reasons you mention.

Yet I feel that after two decades of Ipod and smartphone usage, a lack of silence in my life has had pernicious effects. As much as I want to max my Chinese listening time, I’ve been experimenting with more silence: phoneless walks and runs, chores and meals with nothing in the background.

What is lost when we try to fill every gap in the day with more words and tones? Can we learn from philosophy and wisdom traditions how to balance silence with words and music in our daily lives?