This email has been circulating the last several weeks and it gives pause for reflection. My own thoughts on it are one of passive indulgence. I often fail to see the beauty in a variety of objects, situations, people, and places. Has our (or mine) lives become so hurried that we must accelerate our pace to get through the day, week, month?? To what are we so eager to get to?? It's time to slow down....smell the roses, kick back and enjoy. Here is the email....take time to read and reflect.
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 thousands of 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 the money in the till and without stopping 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 best 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 his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.00 each.
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 some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Stop and look at your life, not just over the course of it, but take one day to see what you may have missed.
Take a look at the following picture......what do you see??
Thought for today, comes from that noted Greek Philosopher-Socrates.
"Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love".
When we think of Socrates we often remember his manner of death-drinking the hemlock. But you may not know why he drank the hemlock?? It was because he was accused of corrupting the young minds of the youths of Athens. He was often referred to as the "gadfly" of the day.....a person who upset the status quo of the times. His teachings often forced the elders to question the moral conscience and pursuit of justice. You may be familiar with his Socratic Method of thinking. He posed a series of questions in which the answers gradually distill the answer you seek. This method would also help the person examine their beliefs and the validity of those beliefs. He once said, "I know you won't believe me, but the highest form of Human Excellence is to question oneself and others."
I love Christmas...that merry time of the year, the decorations, the sounds, the smell of the Frasier Firs, the children clamoring for their gifts and the sense of love and childlike innocence that we strive to attain. Unfortunately for many of us we wait to this time of year solely. And it's such a waste of time for many. For some, that "Scrooge" mentality lives the other 364 days of the year. But, really, even for those "Scroogians" out there, the unabashed merriment of a glowing tree decorated with ornaments, Christmas lights, and the Angel on top must open your heart to feel and express the innocence and beauty of being a child of the universe. You can't help but smile and possibly bring a tear to your eye as your child or grandchild opens their present that they so eagerly awaited. And who cannot say that as they run up to you and throw their arms around your neck and kiss your cheek that your heart does not melt??!!?? Hopefully those who feel sadness and anger will not resist these feelings of togetherness and love.
Merry Christmas to all and may you have the best New Year.
