WillyTex, Nice post! It just goes to show people are busy to get to work to make a living. There's a time and place to appreciate a good musician. The metro station is not one of them.
JR --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "WillyTex" <willytex@...> wrote: > > THE SITUATION (received in email-reformatted for easy reading) > > 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 before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater > in > Boston where the seats averaged $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: > > 1. In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we > perceive beauty? > > 2. If so, do we stop to appreciate it? > > 3. 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 as we rush through life? >
