Are we Missing Something?

Hi Good day PPL ! :)

Did you notice the person who just passed you was holding his cell to his right ear with his left hand? Did you see the kid splash in the water puddle at the roadside? How many weird-funny quotes did you read behind vehicles which pass by your window in the bus? How many stories was that tall building?

How much do you notice the simple everyday things around you? Why are we so engrossed in our thoughts that sometimes once-in-a-lifetime spectacles we just ignore?

Whats the hurry to rush home or work that some could not attend the Laser show at Bandra Sea Link from any place nearby to you or on the TV/net? That one really struck me as weird, when ppl said they had to get home & couldn't come to watch the show even though we got out 1hour earlier to our usual time & miss an event happening almost after a decade!

This event has happened in real life & got to know it through a mail I received.

READ ON:

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, it was calculated that a thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed the musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along and hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. Several other children did the same and all parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth US$3.5 million.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the tickets averaged $100.

This is a real 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 priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

PAY ATTENTION, BE ALERT & ENJOY LIFE !!!

bye.take care !

Comments

Superb piece, thanks for sending the link. I have not read it before. AND ITS SO TRUE - even of me! Thank you for drawing attention to it. I observe at times but many times am involved in something else altogether. That's what Bhagavan says when he mentions that we are just existing and not living. So glad that you brought this to my notice. Will make a better effort. One more reason to rejoice leaving my job ;)