I know most of our smartphones, the ones we can’t live without, come with earbuds or we end up getting some type of audio contraption that either goes in our ears or covers them up to block out the world.

Yes, they block out the world. I’m not saying I don’t own a pair; I have a pair in my desk so that I can listen to webinars and I have one that I keep in my messenger bag so I can take phone calls while I drive. So my hand is raised in guilt. However…

I try to use them as little as possible. I don’t want to block out the world. I think that when you wear your earbuds or headphones, you miss out on just as much as if you were walking around just looking down at your smartphone without them in your ears.

The music or podcast blaring in your ears is all that your ears can focus on. When you naked ears, you can listen in all directions. “Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees” also applies to what we list to as well.

Actually, it really involves all the senses.