I am not going to get the credit for this post,...I have taken it from my friend Gill's blog (http://thatbritishwoman.blogspot.com/)
it is powerful and thought provoking..I do hope that it is not just an urban myth
THE SITUATION
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About 4 minutes later: the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.
This experiment raised several questions:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?
IMHO, we (as a society)are in too much of a hurry, it is not until you HAVE to slow down that you truly appreciate the very finest things in life, the smells, the sounds, the sights and the feel of things that surround us. Children do not have an agenda, and they too can appreciate the wonders of the world around us.
ReplyDeleteNice piece!
I would suspect that story is true. It's a powerful lesson that we all need to learn, just slow down and enjoy what is around you. This is your life, you'll never get another chance to enjoy this moment, of this day.
ReplyDeleteYou can't help hurrying, sometimes. There is always too much to do, and the frustrating sense that you will never be able to get everything all done. But, how much time does it really take to notice the little things around you, as you pass? And how much would it cost you to just sit a spell, each day, and just see and hear and feel what is around you?
I havent been hurrying this evening..... for three hours I have been guarding my chickens!!!!!!
ReplyDelete$35 an hour isn't too bad a wage though!
ReplyDeleteru paying?
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame but Sharon is right. Why does something literally have to stop or slow us down before we appreciate what life really has to offer. Certainly I wouldn't put Joshua Bell in the category of 'little things'.
ReplyDeleteThanks John, now get back to work!
it does make you think, glad you shared it with your readers as well.......
ReplyDeleteGill in Canada
Awesome post. It does make you think on what you may be missing out on.
ReplyDeleteIt's true John. There's a YouTube video "Joshua Bell Subway Experiment" of it. 1,825,152views to date!!
ReplyDeleteBTW, the Amish girls were standing at the side of one of the tents watching an auction. They don't like to get their pictures taken, so I tried to be stelth at it!
ReplyDeleteConsidering myself a music lover I was amazed by this, how could someone not stop and listen? But then I thought, if I was late for work say, and my excuse was, "I missed the train because I was listening to lovely music", would I be expecting too much of my boss to be accomodating? And how would I feel if maybe the train driver had decided to go off and listen for a while?
ReplyDeleteMaybe if he'd been playing in a shopping centre rather than a railway station he'd have got a bigger audience. But it does make me realise how lucky I am to have the time, as the poet said, to stand and stare. (sorry about long comment John, am in rambling mode today)
True story, and the Post won a Pulitzer for it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bell.asp
When I was in NYC last month, I stood in Penn Station listening to a rather good violinist. People did stop to give money, but I had to back up against a pillar to make sure I didn't get carried away by the rushing sea of humanity around me!
Living on a farm in the country makes it easier for me to slow down and appreciate life. When I go for my daily walk with the dogs, I try to pay attention to everything around me and notice what's going on.
Great post, thanks (to you and Gill)
great article.
ReplyDeleteStop and listen! precisely our sentiment. When we have something to bark (or sing in Molly's case) about it's well worth trying to understand before hurriedly trying to shut us up!
ReplyDelete