My mom sent me an article about Joshua Bell, one of the world’s greatest violinists, playing some of the world’s greatest music in a DC Metro station on his multimillion dollar violin. (See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html.) What happened surprised me, but probably not as much as it should have. Out of more than 1,000 people that went past him during the morning rush hour, almost no one stopped. He made around $32.
The basic argument is whether we are too busy to truly appreciate beauty. Without fail, the only demographic that consistently stopped (or at least tried) was children. They were always dragged away by hurried parents, but they continued to crane their necks until they were completely out of earshot.
As I read the article, I wondered what I would have done. It’s hard to find a balance, especially in the work world that is ruled by the clock and deadlines. I love being a mom because the pace is a little slower (not much, though). And I try to let Ryan explore the world around him. At the same time, though, I know I get focused on what needs to get done and forget to appreciate what’s around me.
4 comments:
Funny you should mention all this. Last night I told Mike to stop and smell the roses, LITERALLY. I showed him my garden blog, and he was like, "The tulips bloomed? I didn't even notice! I was in such a hurry to get in the door after being stuck in traffic I forgot to look."
Don't get me wrong...I'm just as guilty of it as he is. Watching that video clip of Mr. Bell made me sick to my stomach. Wow. I hope that if I had been in the subway station I would have at least GLANCED in his direction.
That was a wonderful article... (Beautifully written I might add). Thank you for sharing it! You've given me something to think about today. I think I will pass it along to friends and family.
So I have been thinking about this blog entry all afternoon wondering to myself "I wonder if I would have looked up and noticed?" It seems that the house is never clean enough, there will always be another bill to pay, laundry...don't even go there! Life's demands make us always in a rush to do the next task on the list. I am the first to admit that this is me to a T! Thank you for this inspiring article, hopefully next time I see a street performer I may think twice about stopping!:)
I seriously was thinking about this article all day yesterday. I read it TWICE, and I forwarded it on to most of my family/friends. I got some good feedback too. I just kept thinking what if I had been there that day? I even googled Josh Bell's picture so I could see what he looked like. My sister-in-law and I even had a discussion about it on the telephone! She said the same thing you did: all the kids wanted to stop and watch. I loved the philosophy about children being born with poetry due to the iambic rhythm of their mothers hearts. So beautiful! Thank you for sharing this article!
If every I find anything as beautiful as Marie, I will be sure to stop and watch/listen to it. ;)
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