Voice lessons from a whale
Our gentle giants utilize an overly complex form of voice to communicate their needs, warn others of encroaching predators and teach their offspring how to live. Those rumbling vocals and body language share their intentions to other whales, sometimes hundreds of miles away. What a gift; if only we were sophisticated enough to be able to do that. Can you imagine the impact we would have on the rest of our pod if we took voice lessons from our whales?
High pitched clicking sounds appear to indicate that they are warning others and keeping their young in line. There are two types of vocal communication in whales, called “suborders.” These suborders produce sounds in unique and different ways based on the species, physical features, and social structure. These two types are known as the toothed whale and baleen suborders.
Our blessed blue whale falls into the baleen type. Baleen is a term used to explain the huge filtering combs, like bristles, through which four tons of krill each day are sucked to nourish them.
These whales communicate using long, lowfrequency sounds, sometimes deep melodic tones which scientists refer to as whale songs. These reverberations are similar to human music. This helps them find wayward members, once in their pod during migration, or those that are looking for a mating partner, claiming a territory, or alerting everyone in their group to danger.
In addition to using sound and echolocation as part of their voice, whales use physical gestures and body language, to share their experiences, concern, and interests with other whales. Through their body language whales show compassion, nurturing, dominance, and curiosity; just as we do.
When whales surface, they are telling their pod about danger, to show aggression, act playfully, or bump each other lightly in demonstrations of intimacy. We use body language in the same way. The most prevalent body language for humans forced upon us as of late is, keep your distance — I am afraid and what I might catch from you.
We would fail miserably as whales. These animals would not segregate themselves because of injury or sickness. They rally around each other no matter the danger to themselves because separation would not be in the best interest of the whole group.
Like these extraordinary creatures, we share a universal language that belongs to those who are spiritual and hunger for a connection to one another.
When whales speak, it is from their souls; unlike our sometimes-needless chatter, which can hide our real voice. Their haunting yet rumbling vocals are most often used to help and heal each other. Despite their hostile environment, they create a symphony of sounds that sound much like celebration and love. Humans are in the same predicament, trying to survive in a dark and antagonistic place where we have lost our authentic and true voice, so people are not really hearing us. The difference between our 200-ton friends and ourselves is that they continue to communicate in healthy and loving ways, despite their circumstances.
Our voices and vision have become blurred with the extraneous noise of our complicated and overly busy lives. It inhibits our ability to truly navigate our world accurately as it does for the whales; our direction has become flawed. Our “echolocation,” a biological sonar that helps whales to determine their distance to objects and discern danger, appears to be broken as well.
Some experts say that the increase in this mammal’s beaching are the result of the abundance of new technology; smartphones, the internet, high tech gadgets of every kind bombard our air waves, interfering with the whale’s ability to interpret correct distance, signs of danger and direction.
Many of us find ourselves suffering from this same issue. It disrupts our direction and modifies our voice and emotions. I find myself “beached” often, as I intend to go one direction and end up in the opposite direction, unwittingly listening to the extra sounds in my life that do not mean anything and lead me astray.
We should take voice lessons from the whales. In most instances, we would improve our ability to communicate and peacefully exist with one another. We would connect better with one another and develop an improved “sonar”; enhancing our ability to communicate in healthier and healing ways in our communities. We should continually welcome each other’s voices, no matter our situations.
Hopefully, our low groans and high-pitched tones, like our spectacular 100-foot-long Goliaths, can bring cohesiveness and healing back into our troubled world. Let our voices make beautiful songs to help us live in harmony.