On Coffeehouses

I've decided coffeehouses are subversive, which suits me just fine.

They are places where strangers meet, throw around random ideas, brainstorm creative solutions...all while imbibing in mild (or not-so-mild) stimulants to keep the synapses firing. There are no private, back-room conversations. Eavesdropping is a great way to take a mental break before getting back to the task at hand. It is a waystation, an ever-changing mix of people working, socializing, refueling, thinking, journaling, and planning.

On good days, it feels a bit like a revolution. Organizers for American Independence met in alehouses, and coffee (with its glorious property, caffeine) similarly fueled the French Revolution. Today, there exists all manner of counter-cultural propaganda: "fair trade" items, liberal publications, and local advertisements. There are all sorts of commune-friendly activities: sharing tables & outlets (violation of personal space!), pleasant banter, creating, reviewing, and publicizing content through free (gasp!) wireless internet. It is a real-time flash mob -- folks from all walks of life assembled for specific, albeit varied, purposes in the same physical sphere.

Positively madness!

Just the sort of place I like to frequent as I work on building a business, crafting client pitches, and sorting out my thoughts. I don't own this chair, this desk -- I lay claim to it by squatters' rights for a brief time of my own choosing. I don't want the physical trappings anyway -- it's merely a convenient proving ground as I turn my ideas and passions into real value.

Don't worry, I'll be sure to wear a button-down shirt and hide the fire in my eyes when I leave this place and head toward a presentation in the executive suite.

"Does forgiveness follow love, or does love follow forgiveness?"

NB: I had written this elsewhere a while back, but figured I'd copy it here as well.

I’m sure that within my response there will be some sort of free will/predestination commentary, but I’m not eloquent enough to hold that in my mind as well. I’m grateful to Il Padrone for the good kickoff question. So, on to the topic at hand.

As I see it, love and forgiveness are actions and emotions that affect two distinct individuals in relationship. I’m setting aside God for a moment here, although I’ll get back to this specific case in a bit. Love is an internal intention, expressed by external action. When describing forgiveness, this action is usually a posture or conversation of apology or reconciliation.

I think there’s an acting sort of love that prompts forgiveness, as forgiveness is but one external demonstration of love. However, I’m also aware of those (I’m thinking specifically of survivors of concentration camps) who have forgiven their captors, but may not feel any sort of love or affection toward those individuals. One definition of forgiveness is freeing your own self of the right to even past wrongs – there’s no longer a score to settle. In this instance, it is releasing the right to repay evil for evil towards another, whereas love actively seeks to pour good into others. Actions that arise out of forgiveness will prevent harm, but do not necessitate love, nor does it expect or require any action/emotion from the other party.

On the other hand, where there is love, forgiveness naturally follows. I’m ready to play the “God card” here. I’d argue that, in the character of God, love predates the existence of sin and rebellion. If God = love, then we certainly have love before forgiveness in a space-time continuum. Where love exists prior to forgiveness, the actions and relationships are sustained in order to perpetuate future love and forgiveness. Forgiveness without love is a sort of “do no more evil” credo, but does not suppose any sort of continued relationship. Love uses forgiveness as a tool to forge and continue relationships, but love will take many other forms outside of forgiveness. Forgiveness motivated by love should impact the other individual, as it is a clear invitation to repair relationships so that future love can be manifest in other ways.

Forgiveness without love maintains civility and stops the downward cycle of hurt to others. Forgiveness with love should invoke a response in others – leading to a response of love (or forgiveness), which is a foundation to repair and sustain a previously fractured relationship.

Today's Conversation

So tonight I volunteered with a couple other folks from church and helped serve dinner and do laundry at a local Men's Shelter.

Historically, I've stayed away from these sorts of these things...I'm not sure why. I almost didn't go tonight either, since I was running late and I'd already had a full day with many things left on the to-do list.

But it was good for me to go. Unstructured time is good, community is good.

While we were there, my man, Rob (not his real name) came cruising back to the laundry/storage area looking for a suit jacket and slacks for a new sales job he started this week. It's wild how everyone has a story, and how listening and understanding is refreshing for everyone's soul.

Rob's from Virginia Beach, and he's used to running along the beach at sunrise to clear his mind. We agreed that a walk in the park is a good substitute, but the ocean is a good thing. He's always been in sales, marketing, and entertainment -- arranging six-figure contracts. But the economy went sideways, and he lost everything.

He talked about how his mind is now clearer, and that all the confusion and troubles he's been through have made him a better person, how he wouldn't trade the knowledge he's gained for the comforts he had before. It's a lesson I need to keep learning.

He's been at the shelter for 6 weeks, and tonight he's trying on thrift jackets while telling me that he used to have silver cufflinks with the Superman logo while arranging big marketing deals. "I used to be Superman," and then somewhat rhetorically, wondered how all this could have happened to him so fast.

I responded, "Sometimes life just happens and you can't control that. But you're still that guy."

I could have attempted a poor explanation of global economies and credit default swaps. But something about the look in his eye told me he was considering living as Clark Kent instead of Superman -- and I needed to set the record straight.

I may not see him again, because I'm confident he'll be back on his feet soon. He's wiser now -- and hopefully he remembers he can still wheel and deal with the best.

Something good for us all to keep in mind.

New Project

It appears likely that I'll be rolling out a discussion forum of sorts with some others where there can be lively debate and conversation. I'm not sure how that will affect my posting habits here (it will probably increase), but there will probably be some overlap or duplicate posting. If all goes well, look for that over the next couple weeks. The idea itself is novel & collaborative and should make for a good time.

In other news, I spent the weekend with The Sabellian and CK1 (the doctor, not the cologne). As part of Sunday service, the Lord's Prayer was recited -- still wise words after all these years.

Daily Bread: I only have the capacity for about one day's worth of blessings and troubles. Now that I think about it, that's all I can ever handle, but sometimes we presume to take on more. I tend to run in feast-or-famine cycles with habits and the rest of life, so it's an interesting and refreshing change of pace to have a sort of daily sustenance of community, thought, and progress.

Forgive us our trespasses: This is quite an audacious request in light of the wrongs we commit. Thank goodness for God's unending forgiveness. Coupled with it is the sobering reminder of the responsibility to forgive others. An odd juxtaposition of the awareness of my own brokenness, the brokenness of others, and the wholeness of God and how all that fits together. There's a reliance and connectedness that's undeniable.