Do you have time for Beauty? Do you have time for God?

The holiday rush and shopping crush of this time of year can often blind us to the beauty and grace to be found all around us. And just as many in Bethlehem didn't recognize anything special about a young couple with a new born baby two thousand plus years ago, we too are often profoundly ignorant of the beautiful and the divine in our midst. It is in the spirit of this basic fact that I pass along this Pulitzer prize-winning Washington Post article from 2007 which documents what happened when arguably the greatest living violinist played incognito in the D.C. subway one morning. The Post article asks the question "Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you?" but we might also ask, for those professing faith, "Do you have time for God? Shouldn't you?" Enjoy! -- Leif

Full Article Here // Excerpt Below

by Gene Weingarten

No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?

Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? // Keep Reading...