A Violinist in the Metro
02-27-2009, 11:03 AM
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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, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up 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, 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. This action was repeated by several other children. All the 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 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $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?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
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?
May you spot life's many beautiful moments, stop and enjoy them.
02-27-2009, 11:04 AM
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rrrrrrrepostttttttttttt
02-27-2009, 11:33 AM
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Tonymac says....REPOST!! 
02-27-2009, 11:40 AM
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My Ride: 2011, X6 Hybrid . Alpine White , every option. 20" Conti' NON runflats,OEM trunk spoiler , LUX V3 AE's , HP Thunder Fogs , custom front bumper reflector delete........
Agood repost then !! Good one !
02-27-2009, 12:04 PM
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awww.. and i thought it was a nice story about some poor homeless man.. i was gonna give a big.. awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwww 
but now im not..
but now im not..
02-27-2009, 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by melimel' post='803307' date='Feb 27 2009, 01:04 PM
awww.. and i thought it was a nice story about some poor homeless man.. i was gonna give a big.. awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwww
but now im not..
but now im not..
lol
can i get one?
02-27-2009, 03:56 PM
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My Ride: 08 550 Carbon Sport Almost everything factory, but no sound upgrades.
Irish, I don't care what they all say about you.
If you were any anywhere near Atlanta USA I would be delighted to share a freshly opened bottle of Jameson with you.
Keep up the good work even if you don't have a car.
Cheers,
sixcard
If you were any anywhere near Atlanta USA I would be delighted to share a freshly opened bottle of Jameson with you.
Keep up the good work even if you don't have a car.
Cheers,
sixcard
03-01-2009, 09:20 PM
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i appreciated this. and for the repost nazis... just because you have been a member for years and have seen it all, doesnt mean we all have. thank you to the OP.
next time someone asks a dumb question about what size wheels they can put on their car, i want everyone to race in there and scream repost!
next time someone asks a dumb question about what size wheels they can put on their car, i want everyone to race in there and scream repost!