..something to think about...
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January
morning in 2007. The man with a violin 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 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 worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the 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 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
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?
[Sent to me by a friend] - Tasneem.
Posts
I have seen the video mentioned, and I think this post does justice to it. One of the touches that makes the post effective is the way you have split it up into 'time points'. It replicates the editing style of the film! "Recognizing talent in an unexpected context" - Isn't it the very core of inclusiveness? Good show.
ReplyDeleteA very pertinent experiment that shows a lot about our conscious and un/sub-conscious attention span. A sad thing is that at times we tend to lose sweeter and better things of life, just because you are in a hurry to attain the so called dream of your life!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant write-up. Had read it sometime back but the way the times are split and observations made, kudos!!!
Thanks Jeev. It's the saddest thing to miss out on the smaller but nicest things in life! I do hope that the power of perception shows its way to all!
ReplyDelete