Joshua Bell: Something To Think About (Posted on Facebook by Dulany Sriner from Pat Sriner and also found on numerous websites.)

Joshua Bell: Something To Think About
(Posted on Facebook by Dulany Sriner from Pat Sriner and also found on numerous websites.)

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning
in 2007. He 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 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.

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 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 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 ....

How many other things are we missing?