ANECDOTE
It can be discouraging to watch the news and witness yet another tragedy, scandal or man-made disaster.
The good news is, there is a way to make things better.
Paying attention to what’s right in the world can improve the quality of life for us and everyone around us.
The challenge is, many of us have become so busy, stressed, angry or outraged, we no longer even notice man’s HUMANITY to man.
This point was brilliantly made in an article by Gene Weingarten in the Washington Post years ago.
Weingarten wondered, “What would happen if you took a renowned violinist and positioned him inside a D.C Metro Stop during morning rush hour?
What if you asked him to play six compositions, each ‘masterpieces that have endured for centuries,’ and asked him to play these symphonies on a rare Stradivarius?
Would any of the hundreds of people streaming by take a moment to pay attention to a free concert by ‘one of the finest classical musicians in the world,’ playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made?”
In the 45 minutes Joshua Bell played (yes, the Joshua Bell who packs them in at concert halls around the globe), only 7 (!) people paid any attention.
Weingarten’s point?
At what cost are we so uptight and driven, that we have lost the ability to see the beauty around us?
Another intriguing insight from Weingarten, “Every time a child walked past, they tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away.”
Hmmm. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
Starting today, vow to focus on, and contribute to, what’s right with your world instead of what’s wrong.
Because when we choose to honor and BE humanKIND – we expand it.
And every single time we pay attention to and contribute to the beauty in the world, we create a new narrative that elevates and celebrates all that’s right.
ACTION
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Ask yourself “Would I have stopped to listen to Bell? Why or why not?”
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Now’s your chance… Take a few minutes to listen to the transcendent results of Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 2 “Water Night.”
Do it right now. Don’t “pass by” this offering of man’s humanity to man.
I promise, for the moments you listen to this, you will be immersed in all that’s right with our world, right here, right now.
Here’s to being better.
Until next time,
Sam Horn