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.
Findings:
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 theater 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?