Getting Naked on the Subway

“The perception of beauty is a moral test.” Henry David Thoreau

In some indigenous languages, there is just 1 word to explain something for which a modern language requires many words. Koyaanisqatsi is a word from the Hopi language that means “life of moral corruption and turmoil, life out of balance.” It’s also the name of a 1982 movie that was cited in a Washington Post* article about an increasingly famous experiment.

Earlier this year, world famous violinist Joshua Bell was positioned in a Washington DC subway stop during rush hour. If you would have seen him, he’d have looked like a street musician. But if you would have heard him and you appreciate art, he’d have sounded nothing short of one of the world’s great musicians. Over the course of the 45 minutes that Joshua performed, 1,070 people hurried past, few even turning to look. Only 7 people stopped, if just for a few seconds. This illustrates the state of Koyaanisqatsi that grips our modern world. As so often is the case for so many people (myself included), we don’t have time nor patience to “smell the roses.”

Would you be ready to stop and listen if you stumbled upon something like the Joshua Bell experiment? The experiment teaches the various ways in which beauty enters our lives. Unless you develop a certain capacity, patience, and taste for beauty, it becomes simply and sadly irrelevant. So as the great Ali G once said, “LISTEN UP!”

1. ROUTINES

“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” Mike Murdock

George Tindley worked in the subway stop everyday and actually had the wherewithal to listen to the lovely music. From his position as a busboy at Au Bon Pain, he could hear the gorgeous sound and tried to lean into the hallway to hear more. He said about Joshua Bell, “Most people, they play music; they don't feel it," Tindley says. "Well, that man was feeling it. That man was moving. Moving into the sound."

In the midst of your daily routine (whether driving to work or sitting at your desk or fetching the morning paper), if you were to come across some gorgeous ladybug or a raindrop-inspired rainbow or amazing classical musician, would you stop to appreciate the beauty? Don't take your routine and everyday journeys for granted.

2. SURPRISE

“Art must take reality by surprise.” F. Sagan

J.T. Tilman was waiting in line to buy a lottery ticket. He ignored the music entirely saying,"I didn't think nothing of it. Just a guy trying to make a couple of bucks." Tilman was later told in detail about Joshua Bell and was naturally disappointed he missed the opportunity. Unfortuately, I have to admit I too would probably have ignored the music. Just being honest.

If you were not in the midst of your daily routine but rather wandering thru some new part of town or on a vacation to a strange locale, would you have the wherewithal to stop and recognize something strikingly beautiful? Or would you be overwhelmed by the different surroundings, or your tight schedule, or the task at hand? Be ready for beauty to hit you like a shorthop groundball!

3. IN THE CRACKS

“You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers.” John Plomp

The most interesting thing to happen during this experiment involved children. Every single young child tried to stop and watch the musician only to have their parents drag them onward. Does it take the unbridled freedom of youth to appreciate the unbridled freedom of brilliant art?

Hidden in the cracks of every human being are little puddles of youth. Sometimes we all feel silly or crazy or like being 5 years old again snuggling up on a rainy day and eating candy and watching TV. Often we find those hidden cracks of youth in odd ways. Maybe our hidden youth is triggered by a certain taste or sound; maybe it's discovered when we play hookie from life; maybe it's recaptured when we're around family. Who knows. But to reclaim our youth, if not just for a few moments, is to reclaim our most pure sense of beauty.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE JOSHUA BELL EXPERIMENT

• I Want You Erykah Badu
• Big Poppa Notorious B.I.G.
• What I Got Michael Franti & Spearhead With Gift of Gab
• New Beginnings Tracy Chapman
• All I Want Is You (Live In Paris) U2
• Lonesome Road Madeleine Peyroux
• If I Could Phish
• Handshake Drugs Wilco
• Nothing Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
• Marry Song Band Of Horses
• One Voice The Wailin' Jennys
• Running to Stand Still / Dirty Old Town (Live at Point Depot, Dublin, 31 Dec '89) U2
• Om Namah Shivaya Savasana Wah!
  

*Experiment published in WASHINGTON POST, 4/8/07