As a 4-year-old, he strung rubber bands across dresser drawers and played classical tunes by ear, moving drawers in and out to vary the pitch. Today, Joshua Bell is one of the greatest violinists in the world.
A number of years ago, a fascinating article appeared in the Washington Post about the “Joshua Bell Experiment.” Apparently, it all began when someone wondered aloud, “What would happen if Joshua Bell, unannounced and unbilled, took his Stradivarius, made in 1730 and worth 3.5 million dollars, to a Washington D.C. subway station at rush hour and played some of the most beautiful music ever created?”
They asked leading musicians what they thought would happen and were assured that he would undoubtedly draw a huge crowd and that tons of money would be collected if his case was left open.
And so they tried it. They even video taped it. You can watch it on Youtube.
Joshua Bell played with enthusiasm. His body leaned into the music arching on tiptoes at the high notes.
However, three minutes went by before anything happened. Sixty-three people had already passed before a middle-aged man slowed for a split second, turning his head to notice that there seemed to be some guy playing music.
It was not until six minutes into the performance that someone actually stood against a wall, and listened.
Things never got much better. In the three-quarters of an hour that Joshua Bell played, 1097 people walked past and only seven stopped what they were doing to hang around and take in the performance, at least for a minute. Only a few dozen paused for even a moment. Most hurried by, oblivious, many only three feet away, few even turning to look.
Across the arcade, was the lottery line, sometimes five or six people long. They had a great view of Bell if they had just turned around. But no one did. Not in the entire 43 minutes. They just shuffled forward toward that machine spitting out numbers hoping for the big payoff.
One woman who recognized him gave $20, the almost 1100 others gave a total of $12 and change.
The acoustics of the subway station were remarkable. The sound was nearly symphonic, carrying to all parts of the station. In a world where people would pay hundreds of dollars to hear Joshua Bell play, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity – and people just walked by.
It’s a powerful story because we can all relate to the possibility of neglecting something really important as our steps hurry through the pressures of making a living, raising a family, paying the bills and maintaining the yard. Maybe the prize we spend our lives shuffling towards isn’t found in a lottery ticket. We crave success in the eyes of others or pursue a life of ease in our retirement.
If the Presence that pervades the universe is love, I must ask myself, “Am I hearing the music?” Unfortunately, all too often, the answer is, “No.”
As a pastor, I was called upon to officiate at funerals. Now if there is one thing that tends to wake us up to this cosmic music, it’s death. Like never before, we realize how much we loved the person who passed on. Sometimes we regret not expressing our love for them.
I am persuaded that the best way to love friends, family and others is to tune into what one hymn writer called, “the music of the spheres.”1 A good way to do that is to get quiet and spend 5 or 10 minutes meditating on this simple truth–the mystery we call God, this One that fills up every cubic centimeter of the universe is love.
“God is love.”2 Don’t rush on to something else.
When you get distracted, bring your mind back to it, “God is love.”
Stay with it. “God is love.”
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