I know it's been too long since I've really written something. But as the title of this post suggests, I have been competing with time..... trying to control it...... but lately I've realised that we can never win it....... instead we tend to miss the seemingly insignificant but most important moments of life..
I just read an email sent by a friend. It was a story about a world famous Violinist..... the story goes like this:
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning, this man with a violinplayed six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people wentthrough the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-agedman noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a fewseconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping,continued to walk.
At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started towalk again.
At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look atthe violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning hishead the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent -without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was norecognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in theworld. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seatsaveraged $200 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organizedby the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people'spriorities.
This experiment raised several questions:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*If so, 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, playingsome of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . .
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?
Life is really very small....... I know we get trapped in the rat race of living... but do we really take time to appreciate the beautiful moments that life brings us every time? How many of you have lately, smelled a flower, taken a deep breathe, wondered about the clouds, listened to the birds...... or said a 'I Love You' to your life partner??
Think about it.... there's so much to do in our entire day..... but we spend all 24 hours worrying about a better house, a big car, a fancy living......... and what not...... can we not just stop by and acknowledge the beauty of life??
One weekend, go on a long drive, see the trees, the rivers, or a setting sun, or an afternoon reading your favorite book while listening to your favorite music, or just a walk on the sea shore, or a simple dinner with family at home, maybe meeting your cousins and reliving your childhood days.....
Believe me, it's just too lovely...... I did it this weekend. I met my relatives, I had a blast with my cousins... we recollected our childhood days when we would play in sun all day, climb that old tamarind tree....put up stalls in Navratri, or simply play pranks :).... I also went to a fort today..... and could not stop imagining how beautiful it would have been, how beautiful it is still today.......
Don't get trapped...... just stop for a minute and think, is this all that you really wanted?? When you retire and sit back, what would you like to think of??? What would it be, you can always think of when you're stressed and want to relax....
It's not late...... world wouldn't stop if you slow down a bit...... but for your people it will mean heaven if you give a bit extra....
Have fun..... Life is good, go out and make the most of it!!
