Our ability to wonder is the magic key that unlocks the scintillating world of discovery, invention, knowledge, play, and finally self-realisation, says Purnima Coontoor
![In The World Of Wonder](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/10493/242237/59c665b2b8dbf/In-The-World-Of-Wonder.jpg)
One morning, a man started playing the violin standing outside a metro station in Washington DC. He played six famous masterpieces of great composers for about 45 minutes. It being the rush hour, hundreds of people went through the station. But barring a few who slowed down to listen for a while and throw a few coins into his hat, people hurried on their way to their destinations. Among the only attentive audience were children, who, tagging along their parents, stopped to listen to the violinist. But they were invariably forced to move along by the adults who were clearly in a hurry. The children kept looking back at him and straining to listen even as they were dragged away. In all, the violinist collected 32 dollars in 45 minutes, and when he stopped there was just one who walked up and spoke to him.
The violinist, apparently, was celebrated musician Joshua Bell, whose concert was sold out just three days earlier in a Boston theatre at approximately $100 a seat. This experiment in social behavior was set up by Washington Post to assess the perception, taste and priorities of people in contemporary times.
I read aloud this Whatsapp forward at the breakfast table that morning, and went on to list the implications of this experiment, most obviously the lack of time and inclination among most of us to recognise and appreciate beauty in commonplace situations. “So?” remarked my software engineer son dismissively, “Which idiot would expect a celebrity to perform incognito at a metro station, when people have a million things on their minds? There should be a time and place for everything. I hope this was one inference that was derived from this exercise.” My husband grunted in agreement, both left for work in a flurry of activity as I sighed in resignation.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2017-Ausgabe von Life Positive.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2017-Ausgabe von Life Positive.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Miracles of Mount Maunganui
A hike to Mount Maunganui in New Zealand filled Rashi Bunny with a sense of awe and wonder equivalent to witnessing the glory of the Divine Himself
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Navigating Your 20s: A Simple Guide
By embracing the tumultuous journey through her 20s, Abhilasha Srivastava learnt to triumph over the challenges encountered and carve the path for her future
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Inducing Sweet Slumber
As we are well aware, lack of sound sleep can give rise to physical and mental problems. To ensure a good night's rest, you could follow the suggestions given by Jamuna Rangachari in the next few pages
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Days for the Divine
Guided by her mentor Megha Bajaj, Meghana Acharya sends positive vibes into the Universe to ensure the well-being and success of others
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Voices from the beyond
Near-Death Experiences (NDES) have long fascinated humanity-a glimpse beyond the veil, a sneak peek into the unknown that pulsates with wonders, mysteries and intrigue. Jamuna Rangachari takes us through the narrations of a few who went to the other side and returned to share in great detail what they experienced and how it transformed them
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All for the best
An academic disaster turned opportunity led Rajeev Hallur to understand the jigsaw puzzle of life, initially incomprehensible to most of us
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Many Lives, One Master
Dr Bijal Maroo probes into the enigmatic charisma of Swami Omkaranandaji to discover the story behind his uncanny healing powers
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Modern art with a tribal touch
Gautam Bharati and Avani Jain, based in Dungarpur, Rajasthan saw the incredible ability and passion of tribals for arts and decided to do something about it.
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Laugh your way to health
Rupa Bannur, a former IT professional turned holistic health coach from Bangalore began turning to laughter yoga in 2001 after she faced profound loss of precious family members.
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Healing Hands
When Rupesh Budh Ahmedabad from was 15 years of age, he learnt meditation from his martial arts (Karate) teacher. His teacher also introduced him to Reiki as a healing modality that can cure with just a touch. He told him that advanced Reiki practitioners can cure even from a distance without touching.