What Do We Miss?

It was a cold January morning, back in 2007. The scene was a Metro rapid-transit station in Washington, DC. A man with a violin played six Bach pieces for just under an hour. He had a small container in front of him to collect money.

Approximately 2,000 people went through this station, however only a handful stopped to listen. Even fewer gave a donation. The man collected a total of $32. When he had finished, no-one seemed to notice, no-one applauded. There was no public recognition at all.

The violinist was Joshua Bell, a renowned musician. During the impromptu concert, he had played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, using a violin worth $3.5M. Only two days earlier, Joshua had played to a packed house in Boston where the cost of seats averaged at $100 a time.

The story is true - I verified this through snopes.com and other media.

How do you and I perceive beauty?

Do we stop to appreciate it?

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?