THE FOLLOWING IS A TRAILER OF THE UPCOMING PBS SHOW ON PARKINSON'S. AWARENESS IS ESSENTIAL.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR...STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES
A man sat at a metro station in Washington
DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold December morning. He played
six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush
hour, it was calculated that a thousand 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?
Wishing you a new year that brings
unexpected beauty from everyday life! Don't forget to "smell the roses"
every day!
Google: Joshua Bell subway...for detailed
account.
DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold December morning. He played
six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush
hour, it was calculated that a thousand 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?
Wishing you a new year that brings
unexpected beauty from everyday life! Don't forget to "smell the roses"
every day!
Google: Joshua Bell subway...for detailed
account.
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