Music

Joshua Bell was a violin prodigy acclaimed by critics, one of the few owners of a Stradivarius, estimated at $3.5M at the time. In 2007, he conducted an experiment: playing his best pieces… in a metro station. Incognito, as a street performer. No one knew what his violin was worth, nor that he was world-renowned.

Did passersby manage to recognize his talent? To see beauty in everyday life? Did a crowd gather? Not at all. There were never more than 2 people at a time listening to him, out of 1097 passersby.

All children looked at him with wonder, then all their parents pulled them to go faster. The vast majority of those who stopped knew music, being musicians or ex-musicians themselves.

Is it because beauty is only perceived if we have common knowledge? No, since children recognized the talent. Is it because others didn’t have time? Or simply because no one told them he was a talented violinist? Do people need others, “specialists” to know what’s good? What’s beautiful?

So, can any self-proclaimed specialist make you believe anything, on the sole condition that they’re credible? And what’s more credible than someone who spends billions of dollars in marketing to make you believe the crap they’re selling you is actually great.

(FICTION) Guidance for: * Music * : from the novel Interverted

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