As a Psychotherapist I frequently see clients who are stuck in what they see as no-win situations and cannot understand why after all their effort, their struggle has not been more recognized. These are ordinary people, who in small ways everyday are doing extraordinary things and yet the world has simply not taken notice of their accomplishments. What do you say to someone when they look at you in earnest and ask that question?

What this brought to mind was something I was reading a few days ago. A reporter with the Washington Post in an article titled “Pearls before Breakfast” wanted to see if people could recognize what is considered “great” or even “Genius”. And so he convinced Joshua Bell, one of the finest classical musicians in the world to play music in the Washington subway one morning on one of the most valuable violins ever made, a Stradivarius, to see how much people would be willing to pay for the privilege.

It was a study of context and perception, so let me at least set up the context. Joshua Bell has won tons of musical awards around the world and depending upon the concert can command upwards of $1,000 per minute for a performance. The Stradivarius he was playing rarely comes up for sale and the highest price paid for one at public auction was ‘The Christian Hammer’, which sold for more than $3.5 million dollars on May 16, 2006.

Bell was supposed to appear as ordinary as possible and following those guidelines he arrived at the station “in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap.” From a small case, he removed the violin and placed the case at his feet. And, just to help his cause threw in a few dollars and some change in the hope of encouraging future contributions.

What happened next was truly amazing. “At the beginning,” Bell says, “I was just concentrating on playing the music. I wasn’t really watching what was happening around me . . .” “It was a strange feeling that people were actually. . . ignoring me.” “When you play for ticket-holders you are already validated. I have no sense that I need to be accepted. I’m already accepted.” Amazingly, Bell began to question his worth based on the people ignoring him. He was no less the great musician but the fact that he was in the subway performing as thousands of people rushed past him without a moments thought had actually caused him to question himself. But, he decided no matter what he was going to give the performance of a life time.

And then even more amazingly one or two people actually did stop to listen. One man, who didn’t know anything about classical music, said he stopped because “There was something about what he was hearing that he really liked.” A 3 year old black toddler in a parka actually struggled against the pull of his mother, to get on with the morning routine, to hear what this strange man was playing. It seems that several children of all races performed this same ritual only to be hurried along by their parents.

One particular lottery player who purchased $20 in tickets at the stand near where Bell was playing remembered every number he played that day but barely gave Bell a thought. When told of the great event he ignored he replied “Is he ever going to play around here again?” He didn’t win the lottery either…

And so at the end of this free concert in the subway, as Bell put away his violin and counted up his haul for the day; this man who later that week accepted the Avery Fisher prize as the best classical musician in America, realized he had been given a total of $32 dollars and .17 cents. And, that amount was only due to the fact that he was recognized by one woman who put in $20.

What this scene says to me is that there is nothing wrong with us when we sometimes go unrecognized, but we do have to know our worth, even in the case of being ignored. And, have the perseverance to keep struggling to find the right context.