“You have to do it yourself, no one else will do it for you. You must work out your own salvation.” - Charles E. Popplestone
5.20.2011
Words to Live By
“You have to do it yourself, no one else will do it for you. You must work out your own salvation.” - Charles E. Popplestone
Wait for It...
i know it is long. and i hate long posts. but seriously. give it a read.
Somehow I missed this story when it came out (even though it won a Pulitzer), but today I came across it at random on of all places Jeff Bridges website who wrote a fantastic synopsis. But as they say, the Dude abides:
via The Long Now Blog by Alexander Rose - Twitter: @zander on 5/17/11
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.
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?
Magic.
ummm wow. even though they coulda just called Magic Johnson... still wow.
Timothy Ray Brown, a 45-year-old San Francisco man previously known to the medical community as the Berlin patient, has become the first person to ever be cured of AIDS. After a stem cell bone marrow transplant, doctors say his HIV, the infection which causes AIDS, was eradicated.
via digg.com: Top News on 5/17/11
Timothy Ray Brown, a 45-year-old San Francisco man previously known to the medical community as the Berlin patient, has become the first person to ever be cured of AIDS. After a stem cell bone marrow transplant, doctors say his HIV, the infection which causes AIDS, was eradicated.
I Do?
fucking asians... always one-upping american wedding videos...
Bride-to-be Li-Wan was so devastated when her fiance Wang Lu called off their wedding, that she climbed out on a window ledge 80 feet in the air in Changchun, China. Still in her wedding dress, she sobbed there as a crowd gathered to try to stop her from jumping. Unfortunately, jump she did — but not before an aid worker could rush up close. The worker, Guo Zhongfan, caught her in mid-air by the neck. Pinning her to the building, he managed to save her life with the help of others on a lower floor. He also managed to create the most intense photo op of the day.
Jilted bride in China jumps out window (photos) [NYP]
Bride-to-be Li-Wan was so devastated when her fiance Wang Lu called off their wedding, that she climbed out on a window ledge 80 feet in the air in Changchun, China. Still in her wedding dress, she sobbed there as a crowd gathered to try to stop her from jumping. Unfortunately, jump she did — but not before an aid worker could rush up close. The worker, Guo Zhongfan, caught her in mid-air by the neck. Pinning her to the building, he managed to save her life with the help of others on a lower floor. He also managed to create the most intense photo op of the day.
Jilted bride in China jumps out window (photos) [NYP]
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