Everyday Inspiration: Greatness With a Mask
Dear Magnificence,
There was a social experiment conducted in a Washington, D.C., metro station one cold winter morning to see if people could perceive greatness in their midst even if they were not told about it beforehand.
Amongst the hustle and bustle of the commuters, a musician played a violin with his case open for tips. A few people threw loose change or a dollar, while most hurried on their way. Finally, the violinist received $32 from the case and disappeared into the crowd. No thank yous or applause from the passersby.
It turns out that not ONE of the hustling crowd realized that the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the world’s greatest living violinists. A modern virtuoso. He was playing six extraordinarily demanding Bach pieces on a violin from the Smithsonian worth over 3.5 million dollars. And days earlier he had played to a sold out crowd in Boston for $100 a head.
Isn’t it ironic that most of us are so busy searching for virtuoso moments when most of the time they happen to be unfolding right before our eyes? So many of us are so busy hurrying onto the next destination not able to enjoy the destination there are at in the moment. What is all the yearning, and searching for anyway? Why do we feel the overwhelming need to be so busy?
Is it only the moments with shiny packages or price tags that hold value? It seems the more expensive it is, the better the outcome will be. In our modern consumer society, it seems that if we slap a label on it or make it shiny it’ll be better.
Does paying for something make you value the experience more or could you enjoy it just as much if it were given to you… for free?
True Magnificence never had a price tag, a shiny sticker, or a job description.
I was eating dinner out last night and an old acquaintance of mine stopped by to comment on my recent trip to India. “I heard that country of full of impoverished people”, she said. My reply was, “Impoverished in what way exactly?” Yes, according to westernized standards the perception is that they lack material possessions. But what some people of India may lack in material goods, they make up for in an abundance of things immaterial such as peace, contentment and happiness.
I was struck during my journey there how people didn’t necessarily spend time on constantly upgrading their stuff as traditional westerners do. They spent time on what enriches their lives, namely their relationship with themselves through meditation, prayer, and fasting, and the relationship with their family and friends. In fact, I was invited to many people’s houses for dinner while I was there, often by people I just met!
How many of us ever think we have the time to cook for someone here in our own country, let alone a stranger from another?
Perhaps it’s going from “Nowhere to Now Here” as bestselling author Wayne Dyer says. Stop and smell the roses. Listen to the music. Take time speaking to a stranger.
What other virtuosos are playing in your life unwitnessed, unacknowledged, and unrecognized because they are freely given?
How much of life are we missing because we are trained to devalue the everyday, the ordinary, the unassuming pieces that beckon to us each moment?
Have you listened to music lately? Yes, the notes are wonderful, but it takes a pause to be able to distinguish what is lying between the notes. These pauses are what give the song depth and character. Without it, there would be no music, only one monotone line of sound.
It’s the same with life. Magnificence is all around us. Stop and look at it unfolding. Pause between the notes of your life to see and hear the full breadth of it.
There is a beautiful virtuoso playing right in front of you.
Are You Ready to hear it?
As you take each step I will be there reminding you of your Magnificence, and I will continue to do so, until you are able to see it in yourself. © Copyright. Jennifer Annenberg Productions. 2013. All Rights Reserved. This publication may not be reproduced under any circumstances without the written consent of Jennifer Annenberg.
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