I'm one to be fascinated by the small differences in the world. Someone's quirks, their actions, the way old buildings are drowned out by tall, bland flat things with no detail... you name it. Small details that often get overlooked. I can't resist them. I'm not always alert to the small details, to the little things, i often get distracted or i'm too busy.
From time to time though i'll catch myself focusing on the refined details of someone's personality, the way their eyes change depending on who they're talking about... which direction their mouth curves when they half-smile... the little things. Do they feel the need to press the button at the pedestrian crossing a certain number of times? one... two... three... wait a while... two more quick presses... getting frustrated, pressing it viciously over and over again... watching the traffic lights... cars have stopped and they're crossing before the green man is illuminated.
It's not only people, either. In fact, it's probably more-so the world in general that i notice.
The week before last i went for a rather long walk (turns out i ended up walking about 10km more than i thought i had) and as i recall i spent about 10 minutes just staring at a building. I stood on a nearby bench and just stared at it. Before i add why, that does sound a little odd, doesn't it? And i'm sure i looked very strange to passers by. This building had a large black band across one wall with hundreds of little LED lights and scrolling across it were scientific poems and jokes. The Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC), for anyone who might be interested. Anyway, i was determined to read all of it and find how long it took for the obvious loop of text to be repeated. It took longer than i expected, but it was really interesting so i didn't exactly mind. Or notice.
My point is, i was the only one taking the time to read it, all the business people obviously were not phased because they'd seen it all before, and strangely didn't even seem to notice me, someone who obviously did not belong there, standing on a bench and staring incessantly at a building. I suppose if i'd been dancing around or making some noise i'd have been noticed.
Isn't it odd how people get so caught up in their texting or iPods and fail to notice the world around them? I keep coming back to this point, i know, it's getting old Victoria would you stop now please, but honestly i don't understand how people can be happy to just go about their lives without seeing the beauty in the world. The only time anyone seems to notice the smaller details is if it's 3am and they're in an unoccupied part of the city. At which point they suddenly think absolutely everything is out to get them and oh my goodness what was that noise?
4 comments:
As someone who is constantly looking around at what is going on, I know what you mean.
People also fail to notice things they REALLY should be noticing.
My library where I work is closed due to construction. The main road to get there is torn out, the entry drive is torn out and fenced off, more than half of the parking lot is torn out and fenced off, and the sidewalk going up to the entry doors is torn out and fenced off. There are signs all over the region saying it is closed, getting more frequent the closer you get, and what remains of the parking lot only ever has a few construction vehicles in it.
With all that... we had a woman drive in through the construction entrance, drop her 5 or 6 year old kid off by the fenced off front doors, in the middle of an active construction zone with tractors and such zipping about, and then start to leave. All while on her cellphone.
She says she wasn't aware it was closed. Apparently having missed all that stuff I mentioned.
Seriously?! She missed all of that? That is terrible!
Yep. Thus providing a perfect example of why driving while using a cellphone is illegal here.
Zombie-makers...
This makes me think of the time when Joshua Bell played in a Metro station on a violin costing well over one million, and one of the hardest pieces in the world. And next to no one even stopped to listen. I hate how people don't even appreciate art now. I love love LOVE going to London just because I spend most of it looking UP and looking at all the amazing architecture. People need to just admire where they are sometimes.
On the Joshua Bell thing, here's what actually happened:
"A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.
Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station
was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty?
Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?"
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