On the streets of the Czech spa town of KARLOVY VARY, there is an adorable interactive installation: nine metal plates set into the pavement, each producing a different note when stepped on. Their bright, tinkling sounds turn into melodies that echo through the streets.
But here’s the interesting part: after watching from the sidelines for a while, I noticed that almost everyone who tried it belonged to one of two groups:
The first was children, bouncing around and leaping from plate to plate at lightning speed as they chased the notes. Every so often, they would sneak an innocent glance at Dad before carrying on, utterly delighted.
The second was elderly people, stepping on the plates somewhat cautiously, their faces lighting up with surprise as though they had never seen an instrument like this in their lives. Then they would leave, buoyant and content.
Oddly enough, I hardly saw any young or middle-aged people—the so-called grown-ups—joining in. Instead, they stood off to the side, smiling as they watched the children and elderly people make music with their feet. They clearly found it interesting, yet seemed content to observe from a distance. I couldn’t help wondering: were they simply too shy, or afraid of embarrassing themselves?
When we were children, we didn’t overthink things. Even in front of a crowd, if we wanted to do something, we simply did it. But as we grow up, we start thinking too much. The older we get, the more we worry about what other people think, hanging back and hesitating to try: Let’s see how everyone else does it before deciding! And perhaps that is how, without even realizing it, we miss out on so many things we love and long to try. Only when we are older still, and no longer willing to lose anything more, do we finally summon the courage to try again—and rediscover the joy of simple things.
If every sound were a dream, would you have the courage to chase it?
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