"At the Metro Station in Washington, DC, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man wearing jeans, a baseball cap and t-shirt began playing a violin. Over the next hour, he played 6 Bach pieces. It was rush hour, and during that time, an estimated 1,100 people passed by on their way to work.  

A few minutes after he began, a middle-aged man noticed that a musician was playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, but then he hurried on.

About four minutes into his performance, the violinist received his first donation.  A woman threw money in the case without stopping. 

At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to watch the violinist again, but the mother pulled harder and the child continued to walk, looking back the whole time.  

At forty-five minutes, the musician played continuously for 15 minutes. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace.

After one hour, he finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all. The man had collected a total of $32.

No one knew this, but the musician was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest violinists in the world.  He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written on 300-year-old Stradivarius worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days earlier, Joshua Bell had sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100."

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in a D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.  It's easy to verify.  In fact, Gene Weingarten won a Pulitzer Prize for the article he wrote about it, "Pearls Before Breakfast."

The experiment raises several eye opening questions: 

• In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
   
• Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
   
• If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made...How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

During this busy holiday season, and throughout the coming year, let this story serve as a reminder to slow down; take time to recognize and appreciate what really matters.  Resolve to be more observant and engaged.  It will do you and the world, a world of good.

Wishing you happiness and prosperity in 2012! 

Donavan Lane, CEO

ABC Computers