PERCEPTION
THE SITUATION
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:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*If so, 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 as we rush through life?
Enjoy life
NOW... it has an expiration date!
Email from Rick Kreindler
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