Rushing Through Life

In the Washington, DC Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was estimated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on thier 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. A minute later the violinist recieved his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

A few minutes later a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started walking 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 children, but every parent- without exception- forced their chilldren to move on quickly.

The musician played continuously for 45 minutes and in the that time 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.

When 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 over $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell performed to a sold-out theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the DC 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 percieve 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?

( An except from CQ magazine)