Take a Moment

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
-- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies

Back in January world renowned violin virtuoso Joshua Bell performed six classical pieces in a 43 minute span during the morning rush hour in the bustling L’Enfant Plaza in the heart of federal Washington D.C. Passers-by were frantically on their way to work with thoughts of meetings, bosses and emails on their minds; and he was, for a day, just a street performer. Never mind that the street performer was a prodigy that had played for countless international heads of state, or that he was playing Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Chaconne” (considered one of the most difficult violin pieces to master) on a $3.5 million Stradivarius, or that this performance would normally have cost hundreds of dollars to witness first hand.

It was an experiment. The idea wasn’t to cast light on America’s lack of culture by demonstrating that the majority of citizens can’t identify Joshua Bell (I wouldn’t have recognized him). It was a test of the power of the aesthetic over the mundane. Would preoccupied, rushed people take a moment out of their days to enjoy undeniable beauty, to appreciate undeniable greatness, to witness one of history’s greatest musicians playing one of history’s greatest pieces written by one of history’s greatest composers on one of history’s greatest instruments?

So what happened?

During that 43 minutes 1,097 people passed Joshua Bell (the whole thing is on video - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html). Seven stopped to listen, for at least a minute. Twenty-seven gave money, most on the run. One woman, demographer Stacy Furukawa, recognized who Bell was. She positioned herself front and center and introduced herself when Bell was finished playing.

Fortunately violin prodigy Joshua Bell had a good sense of humor about the whole thing. Commenting on the $32.17 he made during the 43 minute performance, Bell laughed “Actually, that’s not so bad, considering. That's 40 bucks an hour. I could make an okay living doing this, and I wouldn't have to pay an agent."

So what’s my point? Like I said, the experiment was not created to deride the American populace for not recognizing Joshua Bell. Like I said, I wouldn’t have either (I would now).

But this experiment definitely comments on American culture. We are locked in a constant state of rushing. We bustle from one thing to the next without stopping to ask ourselves: to what end? Why are we in such a hurry? Life is a gift, and it is meant to be enjoyed.

I challenge each and every one of you to stop, rest a moment, and truly see (do this at least once a day). Appreciate something beautiful, listen to something that brings you peace, laugh at something silly, and don’t let anyone tell you that there’s no time for leisure. It’s the little, unexpected pleasures that make life worthwhile.

Thanks for reading.