On a chilly Friday morning in January—in the middle of rush hour at a D.C. metro station—world renowned violinist Joshua Bell participated in a staged experiment to see how hurried commuters would respond to encountering exquisite classical music played on an 18th century violin by (unbeknownst to them) one of the finest classical musicians in the world.
In this creative look into our human habits around context, perception, and priorities, the Washington Post authors of this social experiment were interested in a central question: “Would beauty transcend?”
During the 43 minutes that Bell performed (in street clothes and a ball cap), 1,097 people passed by his location. While a few individuals eventually paused to listen more closely for a few moments, not once did Bell draw a crowd. A former child prodigy who filled concert halls in the week leading up to the experiment and whose performance time can command as much as $1,000 a minute, Bell counted a total of $32.17 in his violin case at the end of his performance!
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
— from Leisure, by W.H. Davies
Each passerby on that Friday morning was presented with a choice: to stop and listen, or to hurry on past to their morning destination. In his full story on the event, Post writer Gene Weingarten wonders whether the explosion in technology in recent years has limited, rather than expanded, our exposure to new experiences.
- Have we become so used to obtaining our information from familiar, expected sources (we program our playlists and/or tune in to our favorite stations, then plug in our ear buds and tune out everything else) that we don’t notice the potential moments of joy and beauty that surround us?
A further question stimulated by the results of this experiment is 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, then how many other things are we missing?”
Shifting out of “autopilot”’ mode
Particularly in challenging times, we often lose sight of and appreciation for the magic and beauty that exists right under our noses.
Here are some suggestions for staging your own social experiment in the coming week(s): see what happens when you begin to pay more attention to the world around you as you go about your daily activities.
- Experiment with speed – Does your rate of travel affect the way you perceive and interact with the world? Try purposely slowing down or speeding up and note what you see, feel, and do differently. Has “rush hour” movement become a way of life?
- Experiment with keeping an open mind – Notice if and when your mind is swimming with thoughts and try to gently set aside your preoccupations to create more space for noticing the actual circumstances around you.
- Experiment with sight and sound – Try taking off your portable sound equipment (MP3 players, etc.), turning off your car radio, setting down your reading material, and playing with new ways to observe your environment. What do you notice when you open yourself up to see things as they are in the moment (vs. slipping into autopilot mode and expecting people and places to be what they’ve “always” been)?
Expect the unexpected!
Listen to the entire audio recording of Joshua Bell’s DC Subway Concert
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Steven,
I absolutely loved what you had to share on the experience of presence and increasing awareness. Some great tools and ideas to spur you into awakening.
Thanks for turning me onto Joshua Bell, I spent about 20 minutes listening to him on YouTube, only to realize he had been the child violinist in the 80’s horror classic, The Hunger, with David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve.
Adela
“Sometimes the truth depends upon a walk around the lake” – Wallace Stevens.
I have long encouraged hurried folks to turn to nature and to move through nature as slowly and curiously as possible with a magnifying glass. When they report back they do so with enthusiasm about the smallest of things they have spotted. One man studied a formation of ants for what he described as “an age.” That turned out to be about nine minutes!
This slow down encourages deeper thinking which is becoming a lost art. People now think they are thinking between back-to-back Blackberry messages!
We live on an incredible planet that is worth savouring to the last minute…
Have to say that I simply loved listening to the audio of Joshua Bell playing in the station. I think I would have stopped in my tracks and stood there with my mouth open wide, rush hour or not; Meeting or not. I’ve done it before. I have also noticed that during this year-plus sabbatical that I DO stop and smell the flowers a lot more – I simply don’t have anywhere I’m rushing to be! Like tonight, I was able to sit on a bench and thoroughly enjoy an entire Strawberries N Creme frappuccino… on the bench, not as I was walking somewhere. In the summer heat, it was wonderful, and worth that Starbuck’s price tag.
Anyhow, thanks Steve. This post affected me very much and reminded me that I do have a little musician in me.
thank you!
Love your message – it is a wonderful invitation for shifting our focus beyond our habits. It’s amazing how fabulous the world and its’ inhabitants are when we just open to to seeing it. “People say” that the world is a total mess, but I see great things – companies becoming socially responsible, individuals giving of their time and money, creative solutions to some tough problems. Thanks Steve for the great reminder!!!