This article really makes me think. Read it.
Okay, assuming that you've read it, here are a few of my thoughts.
This really brings into focus the busyness of our lifestyles. Here we have one of the best musicians in the world playing some top notch music and only a few people took the time to listen. Why? They were so focused on the day ahead of them, on the tasks to be accomplished, on their own problems, that simply stopping and listening doesn't occur to them.
I see two issues - One is that we have become too used to street musicians and homeless people on the corner. We don't notice them, or we purposely ignore them. I find myself doing this everytime I drive to the Freeway. I pass one or two guys who stand with cardboard signs - one I have seen on the same corner for almost 5 years or so, some aren't familiar. I get nervous, trying to avoid eye contact. The light changes, and I drive on - partially relieved that I didn't get approached and partially guilty that I didn't toss a buck or two out the window to him. These people have become objects to me, to us. We don't notice them, we don't take the time to try and find out if there's anything we can do. Where is the mercy?
The second issue is the appreciation of beauty. Eugene is a place where all kinds of people practice their art. Some of it is good, some of it is strange, and yes, some can be offensive. I think it's easy to walk by a painting or a musician and not notice it/them because we've "seen it all before." Our senses have been dulled to a point where it's hard to really see the beauty around us. This article made me remember a time in Edinburgh. My grandma had gone into a store and I stood outside for a couple minutes, listening to the droning of bagpipes. There was a sole player outside a church a couple blocks down. I was struck at the beauty of that sound and the way it made me feel. Now though, I have become insulated. I get my music through my computer, my entertainment from video games. We had a couple of beautiful days this week and while I spent some time outside in it, I didn't take the time to really appreciate the coming of spring.
There's so much in our world that is just shouting to be noticed. God made these flowers, this music, the sun and the rain, all with beauty. My challenge is to intentionally take the time to enjoy this world we live in.
Okay, assuming that you've read it, here are a few of my thoughts.
This really brings into focus the busyness of our lifestyles. Here we have one of the best musicians in the world playing some top notch music and only a few people took the time to listen. Why? They were so focused on the day ahead of them, on the tasks to be accomplished, on their own problems, that simply stopping and listening doesn't occur to them.
I see two issues - One is that we have become too used to street musicians and homeless people on the corner. We don't notice them, or we purposely ignore them. I find myself doing this everytime I drive to the Freeway. I pass one or two guys who stand with cardboard signs - one I have seen on the same corner for almost 5 years or so, some aren't familiar. I get nervous, trying to avoid eye contact. The light changes, and I drive on - partially relieved that I didn't get approached and partially guilty that I didn't toss a buck or two out the window to him. These people have become objects to me, to us. We don't notice them, we don't take the time to try and find out if there's anything we can do. Where is the mercy?
The second issue is the appreciation of beauty. Eugene is a place where all kinds of people practice their art. Some of it is good, some of it is strange, and yes, some can be offensive. I think it's easy to walk by a painting or a musician and not notice it/them because we've "seen it all before." Our senses have been dulled to a point where it's hard to really see the beauty around us. This article made me remember a time in Edinburgh. My grandma had gone into a store and I stood outside for a couple minutes, listening to the droning of bagpipes. There was a sole player outside a church a couple blocks down. I was struck at the beauty of that sound and the way it made me feel. Now though, I have become insulated. I get my music through my computer, my entertainment from video games. We had a couple of beautiful days this week and while I spent some time outside in it, I didn't take the time to really appreciate the coming of spring.
There's so much in our world that is just shouting to be noticed. God made these flowers, this music, the sun and the rain, all with beauty. My challenge is to intentionally take the time to enjoy this world we live in.
Labels: appreciation, beauty, music
1 Comments:
I don't know that I've ever seen a street musician...
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