Flashback 4 of 5 – “Real Life Beauty”

Video podcast: Flashback 4 of 5 – “Real Life Beauty”

This is a story about how I almost DIDN’T want to meet CeCe… but because I trusted instinct over image, I found love. It’s a lesson about following your gut, and trusting in real life beauty.

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This episode is part of the 5-part Flashbacks series. To see all Flashback episodes, click here.

Tags: flashbacks, instinct, real life beauty

4 Responses to “Flashback 4 of 5 – “Real Life Beauty””

1. Karen says:

   18 March 2011 at 11:18 am

   Very true – there is more to a person than his/her outer look – that is the inner spirit and consciousness which radiate as an aura around the person and this inner spirit/aura is invincible and immaterial and cannot be caught by a technical device.

   Reply
2. Erik says:

   20 March 2011 at 9:23 am

   Just came across this story and thought it could be an input for a future AYMP event. E.g. find hidden talent/treasures around us where we least expect it.

   P.s.I know it is already a few years ago, so you might have heard it before, but it made me think. There are also some youtube clips about this particular feat.

   —
   In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, 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 10 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

   At 20 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The boy stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head 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 had 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.

   After 1 Hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

   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 theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

   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.

   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 recognise 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 as we rush through life?

   How much talent do we miss when its staring us in the face?

   Reply
3. Criteria for joining a uniform dating site | AreYouMyPartner - Meet. Play. Love? says:

   10 June 2011 at 2:27 pm

   [...] said it before (even in a Flashback episode) and I’ll say it again: you often don’t know what you like (or love) until you see it. [...]

   Reply
4. Exploring Location Based Dating – Fun or Scary? | AreYouMyPartner - Meet. Play. Love? says:

   19 June 2011 at 12:30 am

   [...] few months ago I talked about “Real Life Beauty” and how I almost didn’t meet my wife because I nearly trusted technology over gut instinct. I [...]

   Reply