The Beautiful Music Of Life!

Funny thing Orrin Woodward and I were just discussing this story the other day while trolling for Sailfish out on the Gulf Stream. Orrin gave me a different perspective on the moral behind this story. He likened the talent of Joshua Bell to the greatness inside all of us, greatness hidden because we are stuck in the bowels of the subway, surrounded by subway people. Give us a stage, and we can give a command performance, a performance worthy of a pricey ticket!


The LIFE opportunity is just that stage. It's our job to lift people out of the subway environment and help them realize their greatness. No longer is it acceptable to be held back by the indifference of the subway people and their microcosm. We have the talent scouts and the mentorship to enhance everyone's ability to shine upon life's stage. No longer will we walk by the beautiful music others are playing trying to be recognized. We are the agent of change, we are the ears seeking that ballad that yearns to be set free. This my friends if what sharing the LIFE opportunity is all about. Go find your Joshua Bell!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

"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?