So, you’re lying on your couch in the evening,
watching that Bright Side video on your phone, (yeah it’s hard to resist, isn’t it?)
but all of a sudden the sound turns off all by itself. You tap your finger on the phone, check the
volume, but everything seems to be alright. Just no sound. You click off the video and start to get up,
when you suddenly realize you can’t hear your own movements. The silence is… disconcerting. You try to say something, but no words come
out of your mouth. You shape them, you feel them, but you can’t
hear them. You slap yourself on the ears, hard, but only
feel stinging and nothing else. Panic is rising. You look out the window and see the city — something’s
clearly off. Cars stop erratically and turn on the emergency
brake lights. People in the streets gesture too much and
look around them in wonder and fear. You have a dawning suspicion that it’s not
only about you. You check everything that makes sounds, turn
up music to the max, but you only feel the vibrations through your body. This is not the time to panic, but what can
you do? You decide to try and wait it out. You take a book, lie down, and try to remain
calm while turning mute pages. At last, you fall asleep. Day 2
Waking up has never been so sweet. Nothing bothered you throughout the night. You yawn, and then the reality crashes upon
you: sound still hasn’t returned. You frantically check your alarm clock — 10
a.m.! Sure thing, you’ve overslept! You swipe your clothes and pull them on, running
to the bathroom, but step on something soft and fall face first. Ouch! It’s your cat, and it’s clearly not heard
you coming, same as you! Sorry, Plushy! You scramble to your feet, but lose your footing
for a split second and nearly fall again. It seems your inner ear has been affected
too, and that’s bad: it’s responsible for balance. Let’s hope it doesn’t get worse. You somehow finish your morning routine and
even have a quick cup of coffee on the go. Just as you leave your house, you remember
to put your phone on vibration — otherwise you won’t know someone called you. And there’s a message from a friend: “Hey,
do you hear anything? What’s going on?!” So it’s the whole city, then. You reply that you don’t know and go to
the office — time to do something. The streets are deserted, even though it’s
Monday morning. You walk all alone, in utter silence, and
look to the sides every second, just in case. When you get to the office, you expect to
see no one, but there are a few colleagues. They all seem lost, pale, but glad to see
you. You talk using a messenger — it’s your
only means of communication now. After some time, though, you all decide to
leave because no work can be done now. You get back home and write to everyone who
matters. All their replies are similar to each other:
“We can’t hear a thing.” Day 10
Life is finally coming back on track. For the last week, all services and all work
just stalled — people were getting used to the mute world. Now, everyone more readily walks out of their
homes and even goes about their daily business. The city must function, and loss of hearing
isn’t going to change that. Everywhere you go, people are looking intently
at their smartphone screens, even when they’re not alone. A group of teenagers walks towards you. One of them is typing something, then sends
it and looks at his friends while they’re reading. They start laughing without a sound. One of them stumbles and nearly falls, others
laugh again. At the office, everything seems okay. Nobody’s chatting, and your productivity
only wins from that. Lunch takes longer than usual because everyone
wants to talk a bit, and you have to create a group chat. Apart from that, the day goes as usual. Day 30
Sign language lessons have become a new trend. Everyone you know decided to learn it because
they’ve grown tired of typing messages. You start forgetting how the world sounds. Music is nonexistent, street musicians have
disappeared, and all concerts have been canceled. TV still works, but it’s adapted too: all
programs now have a running subtitle, and none of the people on screen open their mouths. As for the radio, you don’t even know if
it’s working at all. The Internet has long been one of the primary
means of communication, but now messengers are booming. Apps have been developed that allow people
to type whole words and even phrases with gestures, skipping letters. Walking around the city, you notice that people
have become clumsier too. Today you’ve met at least four people who
stumbled out of nowhere and fell flat on their faces. Weird. Day 90
The world is becoming more visual and touchable to compensate for the lack of sound. Bright ads in the streets have become even
brighter, all warnings and notifications are now flashing like crazy and vibrating, if
applicable. New type of horns has been invented for cars:
they send forward a powerful soundwave that can’t be heard but is felt like a vibration,
even in another car. Roads have become much safer overall — no
one wants to drive fast without hearing anything. Instead of radio transmissions, professionals
such as pilots or police officers started using Morse code, with each signal giving
a tiny shock. But there’s more and more news appearing
of people losing control of complex machinery or simply falling at the most unfortunate
places. Doctors start raising alarm. Day 180
Deafness has finally reached its peak: the medical community was right, after some time
people started having troubles with their inner ear. Keeping balance is becoming an ordeal for
many. Doctors advise not to sit behind the wheel
if you’re feeling dizzy — problems with the labyrinth, a part of your inner ear, may
cause you to lose concentration and get into an accident. Many drivers, pilots, and machine operators
have resigned from their positions — it’s become too dangerous. Engineers are working hard to automate transport
and machinery, but it’s a race against time. Number of flights has reduced drastically,
and people all over the world can’t go where they planned — or even home. Day 270
A solution has been found for the inner ear disorder: it stabilizes the balancing mechanism,
making you sure-footed again. The breakthrough becomes instantly popular,
and people stand in huge lines to get the new device. Meanwhile, muteness doesn’t change the society
even a little bit. The order is as perfect as ever, and people
have learned to communicate without voice or ears. Apart from the balance problem, it seems nothing’s
affected the life of humanity. Even better, construction and renovation works
have been allowed at night. Previously they’d been banned because of
all the noise, but now that nobody hears a thing, even blasting off with a jackhammer
is not a problem anymore. The only limitation is the vibration: if it’s
too much, then the works are prohibited. Day 360
Almost a year has passed since everybody around the world lost their hearing. The balance aids work like a charm, so navigation
and transportation has resumed. People live their normal lives, but forgot
how to use their tongues. Some traditions have changed, though. Eating has become a ritual of silence, not
a place for an idle chat — who can hold a fork and a knife and talk with gestures
at the same time? Taxi driving is now one of the most responsible
— and silent — occupations ever. Long gone the days when you could sit in the
front and hear a good story. Everybody in the back now for safety. Movies and TV shows are either subtitled or
mute altogether. Emergency signals transformed from sound blares
to extra bright flashing lights. Police, ambulance, and rescue services are
all equipped with vibro-horns. Life goes on. Day 366
You wake up with a start. It’s morning, and your alarm clock is buzzing
under the pillow. Wait. Buzzing? Yes, not just vibrating but actually giving
off that sound. And then all other sounds start pouring into
your ears, making you go slightly crazy. You didn’t even realize how much noise is
all around us every moment. Cars outside, draft from the open window,
even slight humming of the fridge — it all shocks you so much you can’t move and just
slap your palms over your ears. And life in the city stops again. After a year without a sound, everyone is
too perplexed to get about their lives. Suddenly, your phone starts buzzing again. Mom’s calling. With shaky hands you tap the answer icon and
hold the phone to your ear. And then you hear a cracked and uncertain,
but so familiar voice, saying, “H’lo?” Hey, if you learned something new today, then
give the video a like and share it with a friend! And here are some other videos I think you'll
enjoy. Just click to the left or right, and stay
on the Bright Side of life!
