So I was scrolling around on Facebook and came across this little piece of writing...
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 1,100 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, and 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 most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $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?
Written by Guillo Puig. 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, and 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 most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $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?
If you would like to listen to the piece clicky this here link! àhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xq5ZM7r6AU&feature=fvst It’s so beautiful! <3
To me it seems like society has taken a very left brain perspective on life. We're so obsessed with organizing; categorizing, and thinking rationally...we forget a ginormous part of being human is creativity, emotion, and inspiration! But one might say..."well Rav...that’s all fine and dandy but in order to advance in life and living situations we need a more logical perspective, we need to categorize and think rationally, like what science does for us." and to that, I completely agree. But ...what was needed for that first idea of an "atom"? CREATIVITY my friends, creativity! For any first idea you need a theory and for a theory you need an imagination... so seems like even science uses the two sides of the brain quite equally (in a very generalized sense of course.. I mean technically we are constantly using both sides).
Another thing... is it just me or are people generally brought up in a society that devalues art and creativity? In school there is quite obviously a hierarchy. Hmmm…let’s see…The maths and sciences most defiantly ranking first, then comes language and literature, and at the very bottom…*busts out magnifying glass* “Oh…I think I see it…Visual Arts…is that you?” I think the problem is schools don’t allow or stress creative freedom. Not even in the sciences, which is where they are in fact most needed for future advancement! You have a bunch of teenagers sitting in their science labs just doing them for the sake of doing them…no one wants to do a lab where you’re given the topic and even the friggen hypothesis (WTF MAN?). And so the teacher’s job is to simply teach the kids how to handle this stuff safely and possibly make it out alive without blowing off an arm. Thank you…just thanks. The amount of knowledge I have gained from this experience is just bewildering, I didn’t know I shouldn’t drink toxic substances at the end of a chemistry lab, you have changed how I see the world.
Okay I admit I might be a tad too sarcastic…I mean I did learn a thing or two in those labs but I think the point I’m getting at here is that the true amazement of the sciences is sucked out even before students get a proper taste of it, all because of the lack of creative freedom. And what do you end up with? A bunch of bored ass teenagers that are going into the sciences because their parents told them to…not because they actually find it interesting or want to advance the world at all. And those kids, my friends, is our potential future (oh joy!). What happened to the good ol’ days where dudes with the funky stashes were conducting experiments in their basements with results that break my awesometer? Back then, they had what we don’t today, an interest. And this odd word “interest” is something that creates itself, usually through experiences, it can’t be forced. With a little bit of creative freedom to students, they could explore topics they found interesting and maybe come up with some genuine ideas that have potential for expansion. I think the point of education should be to expand the mind and give way to exploration…but instead, it does quite the opposite. It sometimes bears closed minded elitists.
Let’s not even get started on how environment and experiences physiologically shape the brain. So a child is taught to be rational and logical his whole life by society, supressing what is a natural part of the human brain, creativity and imagination. And as a result his brain will begin to form stronger neurological connections to parts he is most using and diminish the ones he is not. So essentially, he will shape his own brain. He will make himself a rational machine without even noticing it (Ohmagawd!). So maybe society can try to stress creativity and the importance of imagination and help prevent little rational machines from being created. Little monsters!
Anyway I guess what I'm saying here is creativity is a natural part of humans and we live like logic and creativity are contrasting when really they are complimentary. <3 Seems like we miss a lot of things in life especially the beauty of it.
ART RULES THE WORLD! And that… just fills me up with hearts and sheit.
“Earth” without “art” is just “eh” –anonymous
~YE YEE!
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