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THE SUBWAY VIOLINIST / A TRUE STORY
Story telling, especially when it's true, strikes as deep a chord as parody or satire for it reveals the same truth but far less obtrusively : Allen L Roland
On a cold day in December, a man sat at a metro station in
Washington DC and started to play the violin.
He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.
Since it was rush hour, it was calculated that a thousand 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 a 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 some money into the hat and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, a man leaned against a wall to listen to the
musician, but after looking at his watch he walked away.
Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy.
Obviously in a hurry, the mother tugged at the boy,
but the kid stopped to listen to the violinist.
Finally, the mother gave a hard push 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 six people
stopped and stayed for a while.
About 20 people gave him money but continued to walk.
He collected $32 when he was finished playing.
Silence took over, no one noticed. No one applauded,
nor was there any recognition.
This is a true story.
No one knew 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.
Two days before his playing in the subway,
Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston
where the seats cost an average of $100.
Joshua Bell's incognito performance in the metro station
was organized by the Washington Post as part of a
social experiment about people's perception, taste
and priorities.
The purpose was to see if, in a commonplace environment,
at an unusual hour, in an unexpected location,
how many people
perceive beauty,
stop to appreciate it,and
recognize talent.
Evidently, not many ~ except the little boy who was still seeing through his heart and could still see and appreciate beauty and true heartfelt talent.
So, how many of us go through our lives scurrying to and fro and here and there ~ but forget to hear and appreciate the music and the magic when it happens.
Here's your last chance of 2008, click on to this four minute video of Joshua Bell playing Ladies in Lavender with music by Nigel Hess ~ which I dedicate to my beloved life partner, Keiko.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Allen L Roland
Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net
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