From my beloved sister Beverly who along with her biological family
is personally responsible for me being alive - on several occasions,
having first nursed me back to life after my first Hunger Strike for the
children of Chester PA.
Start
ps: I have not followed up to be sure this is a valid Washington
Post article.
-------------------------------------------------------
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Beverly Austin
To: jay/start mcginley?loving
Sent: Sat, January 2, 2010 7:23:25 PM
Subject: FW: Percption
WOW, do you see what you are up against Start/ What Jesus our Lord was up against, Makes me think long and hard.Makes me want to cry. Of course you see what am I thinking, of course you do.................However, what would I have done, How would I have reacted.
Love SC
Perception
...something to think about...
Washington, D.C.
Metro Station on a cold January morning ...
The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.. During that time approx. two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After three 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 three-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 six 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 valued at $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $200.
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 common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One 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?
| | |
|
|
|
Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.
|
Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection.
Sign up now.
No comments:
Post a Comment