Picture this: You’re on your way to work one morning, fresh off the train at the L’ Enfant Plaza Station in Washington D.C. As you ascend the escalator, you catch a wave of music. You get to the top and see a guy wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and baseball cap playing the violin. This is not just some guy off the street, though. It’s Joshua Bell—a world-renowned classical musician—playing the violin in the arcade outside your Metro station.
How lucky do you think you would feel to happen upon that?? To have a free, front-row seat to a performance by one of the biggest stars in classical music? How much better do you think it would make your day to hear such a talented musician on your morning commute?
If you’re like most people, you probably wouldn’t even stop and notice.
When Joshua Bell performed this little social experiment for a Washington Post article by columnist Gene Weingarten, over a thousand people passed right by him during the 43 minutes he played. Only seven people stopped longer than a minute to watch.
Yet, just three days earlier, Bell had played to a packed house at Boston’s Symphony Hall. People had payed hundreds of dollars to hear the legendary Bell perform. Outside the Metro station, however, most people didn’t even pay attention.
How is this possible?
How can people hear one of the greatest classical musicians in America playing one of Bach’s most difficult pieces on a $3.5 million violin and not even notice?
The simple answer: context matters.
When people bought tickets to hear Joshua Bell perform at Boston’s Symphony Hall, they were expecting something beautiful. On their morning commute at the Metro station, they were not.
In his article, Weingarten leaves us with an important question to ask ourselves:
“If we can’t take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that—then what else are we missing?” — Gene Weingarten, Washington Post
In other words: [clickToTweet tweet=”Pay attention. And when you catch a glimpse of greatness, be patient enough to stop and take it in. You never know when you might find beauty in unexpected places.” quote=”Pay attention. And when you catch a glimpse of greatness, be patient enough to stop and take it in. You never know when you might find beauty in unexpected places.” theme=”style1″]
Also published on Medium.
So true! Yes, unfortunately I probably would have kept walking to, especially if it was in the subway because I’d probably be rushing to catch a train! Yes, we really do need to take a timeout to savor our surroundings.
Same here! I think busyness and being rushed are the thing that get in my way the most!
As much as I hate to admit it I’ve been guilty of this! This makes me wonder how many great moments and special occasions I’ve missed due to inattention or misplaced focus.
Glad this resonated with you, Shelley! Hopefully it will help you remember to be aware and on the lookout!
What a wonderful reminder that beauty is all around us! Thank you for sharing this. I had heard the story before, but this was a great perspective!
I’m glad this resonated with you! It’s funny how different perspectives can lead us to see the same story in different ways.
Jen – WOW ! This is so good and wow, I am sure I would have been guilty of the same things – passing him by. I love the way you are challenging us to be watchful, to be attentive, and pay attention. Thank you for opening all our eyes so we don’t miss the amazing beauty around us because we are not expecting it.
Your neighbor at #RaRaLinkup
PS.. if you are looking for another place to link to on Thursday’s I would love if you would consider joining my new linkup #TuneInThursday – it opens Thursday 3am PST and runs through Sunday night. you can find it at debbiekitterman.com/blog (Please feel free to delete the link if you think it inappropriate).
Thanks, Debbie! And thanks for the link! I’ll have to check it out!
“…what else are we missing…” indeed!!
Love this! Great perspective shift.
Thanks, Alisha! Glad you enjoyed it!
There’s beauty all around us and most of the time we are too busy to stop and see it! This was a beautiful and powerful post.
Thanks, Stacy! Glad this resonated with you!