Genius Ignored

Genius Ignored

Earlier this year, a 30-something man, wearing a ball cap, long sleeved tee shirt and jeans played violin in a subway tunnel, at the top of an escalator in Washington, DC next to a trash basket. He had his violin case near him. An occasional passerby would toss him some change.

He had a couple people pause, slow down. Over the course of 45 minutes that morning he played a variety of classical pieces, including Chaconne from Bach's Partita #2 in D minor, considered one of the most difficult violin pieces to master (according to the Washington Post).

The subway violinist, Joshua Bell, routinely fills concert halls around the world, and is considered one of the finest classical musicians in the world. He was playing "some of the most elegant music ever written on a $3.5 million Stradivarius."

What happened? Over 1,000 people simply walked by. At a music hall, Mr. Bell might get upset at a cell phone call. In the subway, he admits he would have been happy with any acknowledgment.

As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the inherent worth & dignity of every person. But I know that in my rush to get things done– people to visit, promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep– I can miss beauty, I can miss genius, I can miss the ordinary wonderfulness that is all around me.

Are you feeling rushed and overburdened? Do you have time for beauty?

Not all of us are virtuosos, but we each bring something unique and interesting to our religious community. We can each be a witness to beauty as well as truth.

There is one curious thing about the violinist in the subway. There was one class of people who tried to stop and listen, but they were physically pulled away– children. Sometimes our children are our best guide to the opportunity to get out of heads and experience beauty & wonder.

May your actual children or inner child stop for beauty, because if you don't, what else are you missing?