Perception
A friend sent this to me and is well worth a read and a watch.
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning. A man with a
violin plays six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time
approx. 2 thousand people passed through the station, most of them on
their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was
a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds
and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in
the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at
his watch and started to walk again.
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 all the time.
This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent,
without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
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.
1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one
applauded, nor was there any recognition.
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 valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two
days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price
of seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro
station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social
experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The
questions raised: 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?
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... what else are
we missing?
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning. A man with a
violin plays six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time
approx. 2 thousand people passed through the station, most of them on
their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was
a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds
and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in
the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at
his watch and started to walk again.
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 all the time.
This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent,
without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
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.
1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one
applauded, nor was there any recognition.
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 valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two
days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price
of seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro
station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social
experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The
questions raised: 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?
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... what else are
we missing?
Comments
Also, while we were watching, Kayla came to the computer, saw the photo of you and the koala on your blog, and said, "Awwww, he got to hold a koala?!" lol. ;)
Thank you, dear friend, for reawakening our sensibilities to time passing us on by, to not being aware of what's going on around us, to being afraid to stop for even a half second to observe/look/listen and enjoy.