On a cold January morning, at a metro station in Washington DC, a man played six Bach pieces on the violin. It was rush hour, and thousands of people went through the station, most on their way to work.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell's incognito concert in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities. The questions it addressed were: (in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour) Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
If we don't stop and listen when we run across one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things might we be missing?
(This was sent to me by a friend, verified on Snopes.com to be true, and then edited because I'm a grammar freak who couldn't post it "as is" and then sleep tonight.)
- Three minutes passed, and a middle-aged man noticed the musician was playing. The man slowed his pace, stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried on. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip. A woman threw the money in the till a she passed, without stopping. A few minutes later, a young man leaned against the wall to listen, and then looked at his watch and resumed walking.
- A 3-year-old boy stopped to listen until his mother pulled him along. He stopped again , and when the mother pulled harder, the child walked away with her, while turning his head the entire time so that he could continue looking at the violinist. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced their children to move on.In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped to listen for a while. About 20 people gave him money but continued to walk at their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence ensued, no one noticed, no one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell's incognito concert in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities. The questions it addressed were: (in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour) Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
If we don't stop and listen when we run across one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things might we be missing?
(This was sent to me by a friend, verified on Snopes.com to be true, and then edited because I'm a grammar freak who couldn't post it "as is" and then sleep tonight.)
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