There’s a joke out there that goes something like this: Lonely people go to coffee shops, order a $6 beverage, plop their bottoms onto small uncomfortable chairs, flip open their laptops, snap on their headphones, to be in the company of other lonely people who do the exact same, in order to feel less lonely. Hah! Funny, isn’t it? When I first heard this I couldn’t stop snickering.
Not anymore. About a week ago, I hauled myself to the coffee shop because I couldn’t bear the suffocating loneliness any longer. And I tell you what, it worked. Seeing strangers’ faces and hearing incomprehensible chatter actually do lift one’s spirit, albeit temporarily. Though not my first choice for a remedy, I was unmistakably injected with a small dose of Cheer. I cherished every little interaction. Us beggars can’t be choosers, can we? Yes, I am wretchedly poor! Poverty is rampant in the suburbs! Not “material” poverty… but a poverty of Community.
Shane Claiborne, ordinary radical, says:
But now I know enough rich folks to know the loneliness that is all too familiar to many of them. I read a study comparing the health of a society with its economics, and one of the things it revealed is that wealthy countries like ours have the highest rates of depression, suicide, and loneliness. We are the richest and most miserable people in the world. I feel sorry that so many of us have settled for a lonely world of independence and riches when we could all experience the fullness of life in community and inter-dependence. (The Irresistible Revolution)
What I learned from my coffeeshop experience is this: Do not scoff at people who are trying to grasp or learn “community,” no matter how silly it may look. Sipping coffee in the same room as strangers does not equal “community,” but it’s gotta start somewhere.
Yo, happy new year! Just wanna say that this blog post is particularly meaningful! You’ve been writing good stuff, keep it up man! When’s the wedding date by the way?
interesting… nice to know i’m not alone!