Perception......

[Zander]

Perception « Bits Of Wisdom

Perception

Something to think about….

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. 2 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 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 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?

I found this to be fascinating yet I was not surprised.

What do you think? Discuss.....

 

[Si modo]

Great story! Folks still talk about it around here.

 

[Zander]

What I found most interesting was parents rushing their children past when the kids intuitively knew that they were hearing something beautiful and rare.

 

[007]

Discuss.....

You feel there's a need to tell people to do that? I mean... this is a "message board." I think people get it. No need to tell them.

 

[Xenophon]

Some of the best music I ever heard was played on subways.

 

[Zander]

Discuss.....

You feel there's a need to tell people to do that? I mean... this is a "message board." I think people get it. No need to tell them.

Obviously one person didn't "get it"...

 

[Ravi]

Perception...one of the lefties posted this awhile back and got laughed at by the righties.

 

[uscitizen]

We have passed into the era where perception is considered reality.

 

[xsited1]

This was already discussed. I had to check my posts to find it. Here is the link:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/general-discussion/90044-part-of-a-study.html

 

[Ringel05]

Somebody else posted this a while back but it's always a good thing to be reminded.
Most people are in to big of a hurry, I know I am, to really stop and appreciate what's going on around them especially during the course of a regular work day. Besides how many (including us here) would expect or recognize a master artist playing in a subway without it being announced ahead of time as a charity event, etc, Hell, before I read the first posting I'd never heard of him, but then again I don't follow classical music. Regardless of the quality of the performance most are much to preoccupied to give anything but a passing brief thought to what is going on.

 

[007]

Discuss.....

You feel there's a need to tell people to do that? I mean... this is a "message board." I think people get it. No need to tell them.

Obviously one person didn't "get it"...

Exactly... "you."

 

[Zander]

You feel there's a need to tell people to do that? I mean... this is a "message board." I think people get it. No need to tell them.

Obviously one person didn't "get it"...

Exactly... "you."

yes, "you" and that means "you". shall I stick my tongue out now?

 

[Si modo]

The WaPo has the full audio. I definitely would have stopped (unless I had a tight schedule for a meeting or something that cannot wait).

Here's the WaPo article. Pearls Before Breakfast