페북에서 발견한 글: 바이올리니스트 조슈아 벨의 거리악사 체험

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold 

January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it 
was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them 
on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. 
He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and 
without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at 
his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, 
hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the
child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other 
children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 
gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished 
playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any 
recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the 
world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth 
$3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where 
the seats averaged $100.
This is a real 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 priorities of people. 
The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive 
beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to 
stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, 
how many other things are we missing?

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나라도 그냥 지나쳤을 듯. 

이 글만 읽으면 그냥 지나친 사람들이 마치 클래식도 모르는 무식한 인간들처럼 들리는데
솔직히 출근하기 바빠 죽겠는데 아무리 조슈아 벨이 엄청난 곡을 연주하고 있다 해도 
그 자리에 딱 멈춰서 45분 동안 꼼짝 않고 들을 수 있을까?? 
시간이 남아 돌아서 근처를 어슬렁 거리던 사람들이 있었다면 모를까, 출근시간대인데...
그리고 클래식 모르는 사람들은 조슈아 벨이 누군지도 모를텐데 뭐...관심 없는 게 당연하다.
또는 조슈아 벨이 누군지는 알지만 광팬, 열혈팬이 아닌 다음에야 자기 먹고사는 문제가 더 급한 거다.