Unhook Yourself II

Everywhere you look, people are walking, jogging and driving while talking on cell phones or listening to iPods.

Plugging into an iPod helps tune out some of the stress of getting to work on time. But hooking up to cell phones and iPods is also like climbing into a cocoon where we are oblivious to what is happening around us.

That's why we seem to have more car accidents these days and people jaywalking. And, in a perverse way, that's why we may block out just the things that can help relieve the stress we feel.

The Washington Post conducted an interesting experiment, placing world-famous violinist Daniel Bell at a metro stop playing some of the masterworks of classical music on a multimillion-dollar Stradivarius violin. He normally performs at sold-out concert halls in the capitals of the world. But on this morning, crowds of people rushed past him without stopping.

They were in a hurry to get to work, and they didn't even hear him because of their iPods. Most didn't even see him. Only two people stopped: One recognized him and another thought the music was beautiful. I wonder if I would have seen him or stopped to listen. I like to think I would.

There's an old saying about stopping to smell the roses. When life seems like a mad dash, maybe we need to unhook and hear the music.