Stop and Listen

A man sat at a Metro Station on a cold January morning in
2007 and started to play the violin. 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 passed 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, a man leaned against the wall to listen
to him, then 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 who stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pulled hard and the child
continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on.
In the 45 minutes that the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave money continued to walk at
their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.17.

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 greatest classical musicians in the world playing some of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

The musician did not play popular tunes whose familiarity
alone might have drawn interest. That was not the test. These were masterpieces that have endured for centuries on their brilliance alone, soaring
music befitting the grandeur of cathedrals and concert halls.

This is a true 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 the priorities of people.
The questions raised - In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour:
Do we perceive beauty?
Do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experiment 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 finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made...
How many other things are we missing?

Stun