Afew years ago, The Washington Post conducted a social experiment designed to measure people’s priorities and their perceptions at any given time during their everyday lives. Their study asked one simple question: In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate time, do we perceive beauty? People all over the country are finally getting the chance to hear the story of this eye-opening study.
In a metro station in Washington, D.C., a man sat and played his violin. His performance lasted about 45 minutes, and he flawlessly played six Bach pieces. In the time that he sat playing, hundreds, if not thousands, of people passed by. Whether the people were heading to work or heading home, one thing was clear. Their priorities were elsewhere, and they did not have time to stop and listen to a random violinist in the metro station.
In the time that the musician sat playing, only six people stopped and actually listened to the beautiful music. About 20 gave him money, but even those people didn’t have the time to take a minute and enjoy the perfect sound of a skilled artist. He collected just $32 in 45 minutes. When the man eventually stopped playing, nothing changed. No one noticed. No one applauded. People still rushed along, busy with their own lives and itineraries.
If people would have actually taken a minute to pay attention to the violinist, they would not have been wasting their time. They would have been listening to the sounds of a $3.5 million violin, played by one of the best musicians in the world, Joshua Bell. Just two nights earlier, Bell had played a show at a theater in Boston, where the seats were sold for an average of $100 each.
We like to think that if we had been in the metro station that day, we would have recognized beauty. We like to think that we would have taken the time to stop and appreciate a masterful musician, exhibiting a talent that only God could give. However, we would be naive to make that guarantee.
There is no way of knowing the number of beautiful creations we have glanced over or simply not had time for throughout the course of our lives. It is sobering to think about all the things we may have missed out on because of ignorance or preoccupation with our busy schedules.
It is no secret that we are bombarded with distractions every day. Whether our eyes are glued to our iPhones or we are simply feeling the stress of over-involvement, we can all fall victim to neglecting the artistry that surrounds us. There are tangible forms of creativity and beauty everywhere — music, art, nature and even relationships — yet we so often take them for granted. So, as we struggle to balance all the immediate demands of our lives, let us never forget the value of a good conversation, a beautiful scene or even a violinist in the metro station.
