Monday 12 December 2011

PERCEPTION



THE SITUATION

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station,  on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played  six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time,  approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them  on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man  noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and  stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his  schedule.
About 4 minutes later: 
The  violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the  hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At 6  minutes:
A  young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at  his watch and started to walk again.
At 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 the whole time. This action  was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without  exception - forced their children to move on  quickly.
At 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.
After 1  hour:
He  finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one  applauded. There was no recognition at all.

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 each to sit and listen to him play the same  music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing  incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the  Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception,  taste and people's priorities.
This  experiment raised several questions:

  • *In  a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we  perceive beauty?
  • *If  so, 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 as we rush through life?


 (Note: My brother Antonio sent this article to me ... It was an eye opener! I thought i'd share it with you)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for your feedback!