"PERCEPTION" :
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 earlier, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where
the seats averaged over $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?
Are we able to 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?
Enjoy life NOW . . .
it has an expiry date!
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