Rushing past a street musician.
One January morning a man is playing a violin outside a Washington metro station as commuters rush by. While it is not unusual to pass by a street musician without bothering to listen or take notice, this was an exception. The musician was one of the world’s leading violinists, Joshua Bell, and he was playing Bach on an instrument worth $3.5 million!
The event was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. Very few people stopped to listen and Bell collected a total of $32.
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be that 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?
You can find the complete story at
http://bitsofwisdom.org/2009/10/21/interesting/perception/
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By Michelle, October 31, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
I’m always happy to run into a musician in the subway, because their presence there brightens up the place, makes it less scary and makes the time waiting for the train to arrive pass by faster. The quality of the musicians in the NYC subway is very high. My favorit is the ‘Saw Lady’ (http://www.sawlady.com/blog) who plays classical music on a musical saw. There are Juilliard graduates playing in the subway and others who are very talented. But – of course if I’m late for an appointment I regret that I don’t have the luxury of stopping to listen.
By maureen, January 5, 2010 @ 4:53 am
I only heard about Gentle Action on the radio this morning. I am totally enthused by the concept,would love to do something to contribute but don’t know what.Help
By Jobst Schmalenbach, January 7, 2010 @ 2:07 am
I think it’s because most people do not live in the “here and now”, they live in the “gotta do” … and never are happy.
Yet its so easy to slow down for a few minutes, suck in the moment of sheer joy and be able to recharge the batteries of life.