PERCEPTION
21 Oct 2011 1 Comment
in Stuff
Something To Think About
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 $200 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?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html
Feb 04, 2012 @ 04:03:25
When I (Jerry) took son Paul, age 19, to Europe for an eight week grand tour, we passed under a bridge in Salzburg, Austria. There were six student musicians playing a piece, probably Mozart, apparently reinforced by the echo that the under side of the bridge produced. Despite us being in a whirlwind tour with time, energy, paces, etc. precious, we stopped and listened. They were incredible. About five minute later, we pressed on. The greatest impact was on Paul who had a bit of musical experience under his belt and wanted to be a professional musician. Not after that experience. He realized that these students were dedicated for life and that music was their only reason for existence. He summarized that he would never be able to “catch up” with their education, training, and experience, so he decided to “change majors.” It was life changing for him. We had many others, especially in London, too numerous to count. Some were awful, some were inspiring, all were on the run and everyone understood that. It is a tradition in Europe where music is held in higher esteem than here in the colony. The concluding idea is that travel gives one the opportunity to sharpen their perceptions because so much is “new” and exciting. It has helped me to see so much more of life. In my first trip with David, I developed the two rules of travel: (1) Comfort first, (2) Do it NOW. This was an example of rule 2. It means stop, reverse, go back, and experience. These two rules make travel and indeed life, more valuable. It is one of my ten pearls of wisdom (10+10+10+10.)
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