I was forwarded this by a good friend (I hope you can spare a minute to read
it):
*What are we missing?*
Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. A violinist
played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx 2
thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes a middle aged man not...iced 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 till 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, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally 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 them to move on.
45 minutes:The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a
while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace .He
collected $32.
1hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one
applauded, nor was there any recognition.
.
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Comment: No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the
best 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 had sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is
a real 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 common
place 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: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 ..... then how many other things are we missing?
P.S. I verified this story as true on Snopes
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