A colleague sent me this today, which made me think about what we miss by rushing through life without pausing, noticing and appreciating things that in other circumstances and environments we would love and value.
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 theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
Joshua Bell
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?
Brought me back to thinking about something I wrote last year – see here: Do You Value What’s Right Under Your Nose?
About 
Hi Christine
I take your point yet wonder how many of the commuters worked for enlightened bosses who would smile benignly on the “Sorry, I stopped to listen to this amazing violinist who was playing at the station” excuse for being late had they lingered?
And for any, a metro station, doors continually opening, on a cold January morning is not somewhere those using it would have planned to hang around at through choice…
What strikes me most though is the fact that the children WERE sufficiently entranced to linger and hear more:
Do we lose our ability to discern what’s important from what’s urgent as we grow up? That would be very sad 🙁
Hi Linda
I think staying and listening for the full 45 minutes well might be a bit of a stretch – probably an excuse for lateness on a par with the ‘cat/dog/hamster ate my report’ or some such…and hopefully the music would warm the proverbial cockles of the heart with its passion and momentarily erase the winter Washington chill?
It would be lovely to think of enlightened bosses recognising that an inspiring piece of music excellently performed might increase the productivity and creativity of their employees and override the time spent listening!
The piece arose from a discussion elsewhere about children not being allowed to be children for long enough, being dragged off on ‘adult’ missions with no regard for their play and reflection time, and as you say it’s interesting that the children did want to stay and listen. That is a whole new thread for exploration though.
It prompted me to think that I do usually rush past buskers in the Tube here in London, even though in the long tunnels (think Green Park and Charing Cross…) I get to hear quite a lot of their performance. In a way, it is a comment on how we expect things to occur in a certain context and don’t stay open to random beautiful experiences of art, nature, even kind gestures – wherever they may occur. I’m all for random acts of creative joy!
When I was a kid, I was always interested in such things. Like it!
what an extraordinary talent Jackie Evancho is