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Perception
<h1>Perception</h1>
<p><strong><img alt="Musician" src="http://bitsofwisdom.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/imagesmusician_small.jpg" align="right" border="0">Something to think about….</strong></p>
<p>Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 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.</p>
<p><strong>4 minutes later:</strong></p>
<p> The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.</p>
<p> <strong> 6 minutes:</strong></p>
<p> A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. </p>
<p><strong>10 minutes:</strong></p>
<p>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 all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.</p>
<p><strong>45 minutes: </strong>
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.</p>
<p><strong>1 hour:</strong></p>
<p>He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.</p>
<p> No one knew this, but the violinist was <strong>Joshua Bell</strong>, 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.</p>
<p> This is a true 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.</p>
<p><strong>The questions raised:</strong></p>
<p> *In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?</p>
<p> *Do we stop to appreciate it?</p>
<p> *Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?</p>
<p><strong> One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:</strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>How many other things are we missing?</strong>
<p><strong><img alt="Musician" src="http://bitsofwisdom.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/imagesmusician_small.jpg" align="right" border="0">Something to think about….</strong></p>
![http://bitsofwisdom.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/imagesmusician_small.jpg"](http://bitsofwisdom.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/imagesmusician_small.jpg"){kind=link}
<p>Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately. 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.</p>
<p><strong>4 minutes later:</strong></p>
<p> The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.</p>
<p> <strong> 6 minutes:</strong></p>
<p> A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. </p>
<p><strong>10 minutes:</strong></p>
<p>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 all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.</p>
<p><strong>45 minutes: </strong>
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.</p>
<p><strong>1 hour:</strong></p>
<p>He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.</p>
<p> No one knew this, but the violinist was <strong>Joshua Bell</strong>, 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.</p>
<p> This is a true 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.</p>
<p><strong>The questions raised:</strong></p>
<p> *In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?</p>
<p> *Do we stop to appreciate it?</p>
<p> *Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?</p>
<p><strong> One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:</strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>How many other things are we missing?</strong>
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Comments
I agree.
Vow, this year, to pick up an autumn leaf, and really, really examine its colours....then kick them all into great swooshing fluttering chaos....
Vow, this year, to scrutinise the unique form of one snowflake....then catch one on your tongue....
Vow, this year to stare at a rainbow until it fades....then wonder about the crock of Gold....what if you DID find it....?
Vow this year, to let the child within you, gaze, without being pulled away.
Wonderful.
Incidentally, I always stop and listen.
Even if it's just for a moment or five......
Has me thinking about a different outcome where people did stop to listen, choose to miss their train, delay taking their children to day care ...
I try to ... easy to get caught up with " being busy " in the moment and not engaging
I think here one can see some of the illogical behaviours we all inhabit on a daily basis. Crowds flowing forward on a current of fear: the crowd is pushing forward, jostle your way to the front, will you miss the train? Will you be late? Will your boss fire you? Will you lose your apartment, will you lose your friends or partner, will you be UNHAPPY? And in actually fact happiness lies in stopping...how wrong can a large crowd of people moving in a uniform direction be?
Perhaps by keeping their job they will have the money to pay for a $1000 ticket, perhaps they will retain their social status and be invited to this concert. sometimes it seems the greatest progress is achieved by standing still? That seems to be at the heart of meditation.
I heard about this right after it happened. I'm wondering how it would have been different if he'd played in a plaza where people sit to read the paper and sip their coffee. Or in a park where people stroll or even in a mall where people are wandering from shop to shop.
In a train station you don't have any control over your time. If you don't get from A to B in X minutes you are going to be late to work, late to pick up the kids, not get home tonight, etc. I LOVE violin music and I LOVE Bach. If I had a couple of minutes I would stop and listen to a child play, CERTAINLY I would stop to hear a competent-seeming adult play it. In the situation as described, though, I would keep walking and wistfully strain to hear every note as I hurried by.
I hope some day he does the stunt again and I hope he does it in a park or a mall and I HOPE I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to hear it. I'm sure it will happen when pigs fly, but I can dream, can't I?