> Perceptions always get you. > > Snopes verified as true. > > 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 two 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. > > 4 minutes later: > The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat > and, without stopping, continued to walk. > > 6 minutes: > A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his > watch and started to walk again. > 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 all the time. This action was > repeated by several other children.. Every parent, without exception, forced > their children to move on quickly. > > 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. > > 1 hour: > > He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, > nor was there any recognition. > > 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 $100. > > 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. The questions raised: in a > commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? 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?
This is CABL.com posting #281469. Tiny Link: cabl.co/mblnZ
