"What is this life if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare."
-from "Leisure" by W.H. Davies
I love the story that circulated the internet last year about the Joshua Bell experiment.
In a nutshell, one morning Joshua Bell played 6 Bach concertos on his violin in a Washington, D.C. subway station. During the 45 minutes, thousands of people walked past, only a handful stopped to listen.
When Bell finished, he collected $32, no one applauded, and Joshua Bell took his violin worth over 3 million dollars and went home.
Yet, Joshua Bell, a renowned violinist had played to a sold out audience in Boston just two days earlier with seats selling for $100!
It's a true story! Joshua Bell's free violin concert in the D.C. subway station was part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities. The study wanted to examine whether people in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour would still perceive beauty? Would people stop to appreciate it? And do people recognize talent in an unexpected context?
I've thought about the Joshua Bell experiment many times. All those subway commuters rushing to work missed out! One of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written. And for free! In our busy lives, how often do miss out on incredible things?
Truthfully, I wouldn't know Joshua Bell if I saw him and I don't have enough musical training to recognize his brilliance. But, in a spiritual context I often wonder if I could miss important things because I'm too busy!
The study reminds me a little being at the Shepherd Fields in Israel and noting that while many people in Jerusalem probably heard the chorus of angels, it was just the lowly shepherds who followed!
