| | Traffic-stopping Beauty
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
- W.H. Davies
Interesting piece of investigative journalism - a deep analysis and critique of a nondescript occurence. But long winded -_- Apparently, some readers cried while reading the article below.
This year, Joshua Bell accepts the Avery Fisher prize, recognizing him as the best classical musician in America. Would anyone notice him as a busker in a busy building lobby?
In the 45 minutes that Joshua played, 7 people stopped what they were doing to hang around and take in the performance. 27 gave money, most of them on the run - for a total of $32.17. That leaves 1,070 people who hurried by, oblivious, many only a metre away, few even turning to look.
"Every
single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And
every single time, a parent scooted the kid away."
The poet Billy Collins once laughingly observed that all babies are
born with a knowledge of poetry, because the lub-dub of the mother's
heart is in iambic meter. Then, Collins said, life slowly starts to
choke the poetry out of us.
It may be true with many things, like creativity (see prev post), and apparently, music too. Things that are bo tan jia.
Thoughts this article drew from me:
Stop to smell the roses. Which rose? If I don't see any, do I still stop to look for them?
Why do people in general rarely do what's really important, instead
we waste our days doing things we don't like, just to make ends meat? What's wrong with running the rat race anyway?
Beauty speaks only to those who know the language, no matter what the medium. Is aesthetics (the philosophical branch of the question - What is beauty?) relative or objective? Are there universal things of beauty? How does one begin to appreciate unfamiliar beauty? Do we think things are important and good (like classical music) because other people say it's important and good? Is it even necessary to appreciate beauty?
When Joshua Bell's Strad sings true, I get goose pimples.
Some kids don't even get to be kids anymore.
Free stuff is usually unappreciated. Maybe I should try not to do things for free.
Reminded of Gresham's Law of "Bad money drives good money out of circulation" & asymmetry of information.
Why do I think so much? I'm frankly quite sick and tired of it. The random thoughts are a mess. It's interfering irritatinglyasdijsdaosid with me trying to keep even just a sad level of organised and composed mind. And
yeah, I would have stopped thinking so much long ago if I actually
could, won't I?
If my mind was a house, it would look like this...
 Someone chop my head off please...
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| | Posted 4/11/2007 4:58 PM - 61 Views - 6 eProps - 2 comments
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