The Man Who Played The Violin 

1) Do we perceive beauty? 

Yes. As humans, we have a natural tendency to perceive beauty. 

2) Do we appreciate it? 

Although we do see, and sometimes feel, beauty, we rarely appreciate beauty. This is because everyone is worried about themselves, and not necessarily in a selfish way. This can easily block out any way of sensing beauty, besides in extraordinary circumstances. 

3) Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

Generally, people do not recognize talent in an unexpected context. This also depends greatly on the person's mindset and emotions. When looking at situations like the one mentioned in the article, the only people who stopped to listen to Joshua Bell had some relationship with string instruments before, and people who were open to staying and risking being late to work, just to listen to Bell's music. I'm sure most of the people who passed Bell would have loved to see him 'officially', but were preoccupied or rushing to work. The people who stayed were the people who, regardless of work, were immersed in both the moment and in life. 

4) If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

We are missing a lot of things when looking at this experiment. It shows how preoccupation with other things can fully block out the beauty in the world. 

5) How can you apply what you READ today to your own feature story when you write it after Christmas?

What I read today can apply to my feature story when I write it as it gave me an example of the perspectives needed for a feature story, and how they contribute to making the story feel like a 'full-circle'.