The Gun Line MkIII

Joshua Ball performs incognito in a Washington D.C. subway.

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007…

The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat sitting on the floor in front of the violinist and, without stopping, continued to walk..

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed 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 quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

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 people’s priorities.

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 possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be 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…

How many other things are we missing?

The past two months have been frustrating for me.  I have been trying to land a job, but I don’t seem to have found the right “groove”.  I can write well, but that skill doesn’t seem to carry over to resumes or cover letters, apparently.  I am taking advantage of the programs offered by both the VA and the Employment Security Agency, but there was a question of how my schooling fitted into the mix, and so I haven’t received any unemployment benefits for three weeks, and the GI Bill money is beginning to run out.  It’s frustrating, but I’m not destitute, just unused to the uneven tempo.  There are many out there far worse off that I am, and I am thankful for the roof over my head, the food in my belly, the fact I paid off my truck when I could, and the love and support of friends and family.  To vent too very much would be selfish, but not to vent would be to bottle it up and make it fester, so just consider this a bit of house cleaning.

Of a more serious note, I have noticed that I get anxious in crowds.  The crowds in a local store triggered some anxiety, not so much “fight” than “flight”, and Phoenix saw it, and suggested that I get out of the store for a breath of fresh air.  It’s a little disconcerting – I have no idea where that came from, as there doesn’t seem to be a reason for it…  If it continues, I’m going to double-time to the various programs offered by the VA, and “get it looked at”.

The good news is that my overall stress is manageable; I’m not “self-medicating”, and I’m not depressed.  The path is just a little rocky right now, but it will all work out…