coffee,balls,comfort

What is the difference between a sophisticated, cultured and urbane coffee shop and a crude road side dhaba? Of course, differences are many. Differences in quality, differences in hygiene, differences in gentry, differences in prices and so on. Not just in this case, generally when you start counting differences between entities, you really don't have to ponder much. You ask for one and you get many. Its that easy.

And what if its about finding something in common? Something identical? Well, its much easier than finding differences, once you narrow down your search on it and allow yourself to ignore or disregard the mass of differences around. At least for a time being. Imagine a single white ball in a bunch of blacks. Which one is easier to find? Black one or the white one? Something in abundance or something in scarcity?

But do our differences outnumber our similarities?? Well, thats another story.

Getting back, I think that no matter how many aspects set the two apart, there are somethings very common between them. Between coffee shops and dhabas I mean. Common but very basic as well. "Purpose". Irrespective of the cup in which coffee or tea is served, it is served and drunken for one common and basic purpose. Similarly, regardless of the material used, the seating too has one common purpose behind. To provide comfort. Now, it isn't at all necessary that every cup of coffee and every chair satisfy the customer same way as it might not! The coffee at the dhaba might not be as rich or the chair might not be as comfortable, BUT! The very purpose stays same. Even if its a veteran coffee maker or a pathan at some dhabba or anyone, no one and really no one makes coffee for a purpose other than this. That is, to please the drinker [Exceptions are Hindi movie's villans who have a different purpose of making coffee, altogether!]. The purpose is satisfaction, comfort, delight. So would be with the chair makers. The same purpose is defined and basic in its core.

In the midst of all these disparities, if one focuses on the basic purpose, things get much simpler. You go to coffee shop or dhabaa to drink, to talk, to socialize or whatever... purpose should be the same. Your own satisfaction. Your own comfort. And when you learn to achieve it, differences won't matter anymore.

Wednesday, 4th June, 2008

2:53 AM