I received the following in an email yesterday that I thought was very thought provoking. I’d like to share it with you and ask a few questions after you’ve read it.

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 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.

Findings: 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?

I first of all thought this was extremely interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, as a guitarist, when I was in college, had played on street corners a few times. They were the same corners Bob Dylan had played on 40 years ago. Now I never made $36 an hour, but it was a few years back, nor was I even remotely a virtuoso. But it was fun. Secondly, I thought it was interesting that the one person who wanted to watch the most, though his mother never let him, was the 3 year old boy. That three year old had no conception of the supposed stigma of street musicians, the stereotypical response that they were somehow psychologically unstable, close to homelessness, and hungry. The piece doesn’t go into it but I can only image the responses. This boy heard live music being played and was mesmerized.

I am also reminded of some of the questions we ask ourselves and hear from others we know about our entrepreneurial endeavors, especially the online ones. There is an evergrowing trend toward people making a living using their own brain power and the internet. The costs are very minimal compared to the brick and mortor business. The stereotypical vision for people when it comes to jobs is that they need a good education, a good job, and good things will happen. While generally true, what we have here is the traditional trading of knowledge and time for dollars, 40 years of 40 hours a week. When I explain to people that the internet gives people options to escape from the 40/40 plan, they remind me of the lady rushing along her 3 year old boy. “You can’t do that! You need a regular job! You need to work hard to get ahead.!”; the same dogma we are taught by our government school teachers and parents. These are the people who have been trading their freedom for supposed security. They also find it hard to imagine that there are people who make money by following their passion. But your and I know different.

I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts on this. Do you have people doubting your ability to make a living online? Do you sometimes have doubts yourself? And if you are doing it full time, what was the exact feeling you felt when you finally got there? Finally, are you always in such a hurry where when you see or something that has intrinsic beauty that you don’t take time to smell the coffee?

I look forward to hearing from you. Have a remarkable day.

Photo credit A Goddess of Divine Indifference

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