don’t rush.

I could NOT pass sharing this to all of you.  Some of you, hopefully Most of you, know me well enough to know that I strongly believe the Arts are an integral part of life, and how I press on and on about the importance of “slowing down, stopping and smelling the roses…”  This story, written and based, in D.C. is absolutely what I’m talking about.

Read on.

And then ask yourself -- Would you stop?

‎"In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about four 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 four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

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

At ten minutes, a three-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 forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After one 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?"

Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myq8upzJDJc
By: Sean The-Rules Goveas


* * *

This is so powerful for me.  Yes, I’m that person that does like to stop and smell the roses.  I like to think I notice the little purple flowers growing randomly out of a concrete sidewalk’s crack.  I like it when my co-workers take my advice, drive a different route to work, just so they too can enjoy the wonder God created with the beautiful autumn colors on the trees.  When the clouds catch the sun just right.  When we see shooting stars.  When we remember a certain memory because of a certain smell.  I like to think those are little pieces of Heaven on Earth.  Gentle reminders of our awesome Creator above.

So when I read this story today, I may have gotten choked up.  I may have gotten frustrated with the people that didn’t pay attention.  I may have thought… "Well, I like to think that I would have stopped." … But in reality--in the fast-paced world we live in...would I?  Would you??