[BITList] Thought for the day!

[franka]

        You may have seen this before, but it's still worth another look
        - excuse the pun. I, for one, think I miss a helluva lot by
        racing through life.
        ------------------------------------------------------------------------


                *PERCEPTION**- Living at the  Moment*

                *.  . .  Something To Think About . .. ... *






                *THE  SITUATION*

                In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station,  on  a cold
                January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played 
                six Bach  pieces for about 45 minutes. During that
                time,  approximately 2,000  people went through the
                station, most of them  on their way to work.  After
                about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man  noticed that there
                was a  musician playing. He slowed his pace and  stopped
                for a few seconds,  and then he hurried on to meet his 
                schedule.


                *About 4  minutes later:
                *
                The  violinist received his first  dollar. A woman threw
                money in the  hat and, without stopping,  continued to walk.


                *At 6  minutes:*

                A   young man leaned against the wall to listen to him,
                then looked at   his watch and started to walk again.


                *At 10   minutes:
                *A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother  tugged  him
                along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the 
                violinist again,  but the mother pushed hard and the
                child  continued to walk, turning  his head the whole
                time. This action  was repeated by several other 
                children, but every parent - without  exception - forced
                their children  to move on  quickly.

                *At 45 minutes:
                *The musician   played continuously. Only 6 people
                stopped and listened for a   short while. About 20 gave
                money but continued to walk at their   normal pace. The
                man collected a total of $32.

                *After 1   hour:*
                He  finished playing and silence took over. No  one
                noticed and no one  applauded. There was no recognition
                at  all.

                No one knew  this, but the violinist was *Joshua   Bell*
                , one of the  greatest 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, Joshua Bell sold-out a  theater in Boston where
                the seats  averaged $100 each to sit and listen  to him
                play the same  music.


                This is a true story. Joshua  Bell, playing  incognito
                in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by  the 
                Washington Post as part of a social experiment  about
                *perception,  taste and  people's priorities*.

                *This  experiment raised  several questions:*

                    * ***In  a common-place  environment, at an
                      inappropriate hour, do we  perceive beauty?
                    * ***If  so, do we stop  to appreciate it?
                    * ***Do  we recognize  talent in an unexpected context?






                *One  possible  conclusion reached from this experiment
                could be  this:  If   we do not have a moment to stop
                and listen to one of the best   musicians in the world,
                playing some of the finest music ever written,  with one
                of the most beautiful instruments ever made . .   .*

                *How  many  other things are we missing as we rush
                through  life?*





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