Perfection

Perfection is not clean or easy. Perfection is not light or whimsical. Perfection is heavy and potent. It is dirty and difficult.

Perfection is progress; arrival is defeat.

Progress is cyclical. It moves upwards, forwards, down, and backwards. There is life that creates death, and death that creates life.

The hero isn't the one that wins, the hero is the one that lives.

Marijuana prohibition does not work.

Great article on the failed marihuana prohibition, and why it is better for marijuana (like alcohol) to be legal and regulated:

Editorial: Approve Initiative 502 — It’s time to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana | Editorials | The Seattle Times

The Facts... bro

Ok, so this eats me. People are closed minded, stubborn, and ignorant. People form ideas, and then cement them in as if any falsity of the idea would destroy everything they believed in. Here is the truth: an idea that does not hold up under fire is flawed. Here is another one: you cannot understand any idea in its entirety.

I'll start with the latter.

Gravity. It pulls us down (or pushes?). How?... oh.

"I know one thing, that I know nothing"

Signs lead us to believe that the universe is constantly expanding. Research finds things that are smaller and smaller. I'm not even sure what the smallest particle is anymore.

The universe was created by an explosion. Then it evolved over billions of years. Or was it God? And in that scenario, did it happen in just one week or over billions of years?

Democrats are wrong.

Republicans are wrong.

The universe is filled with contradictions because we cannot possibly understand indefinitely. There is too much information to behold. I trust that we may never understand it all.

An idea that does not hold up under fire is flawed. I believe that to be true... care to prove me wrong? The unfortunate thing is that my idea might be flawed. Of course, it will only ever be a theory because it is impossible to prove it.

The scientific process begins with a hypothesis... a guess. Then it tests the guess. If the guess passes the test we have a theory. Then someone else comes along and tests the theory under different circumstances. If the theory does not hold up it is flawed, and must be altered or thrown out entirely.

Philosophy works much in the same way.

If you have a theory that you are afraid to put under fire, then ask yourself what you are afraid of. If you are afraid of being wrong then you better damn well put your theory under fire, because if you are wrong then you are believing in a lie. How many other people will you spread your lie to? Who will you hurt? Who will you take advantage of?

Here's what it comes down to. Stop believing everything with an iron grip. Hold your mind with an open palm. Let yourself evolve. Stop telling one sided stories. Stop pretending that you are right, and start believing that WE are flawed. When someone disagrees with you don't write them off.

Listen when someone talks; ask when you don't know; try to see it from their point of view. Do all of this as one who only knows one half of the story.

This is a plea from the depths of my soul.

-Ben

Honey Notes: a double rainbow

Last night I saw a double rainbow. It was all the way across the sky... it was full on.

Anyway, I saw it, and got a picture. Then the second rainbow faded, but the first rainbow grew. I could see the entire spectrum of colors. What a cool sight.

What's more, all the hundreds of cars that dry by on the East Beltline saw some hippie staring at the sky, smiling and mutter something to himself about a double rainbow.

Good times.

-Ben

Honey Notes: a new series

So this is a new idea I'm going to try. "Honey Notes" is a series of blog entries that I am starting where I reflect on the simple, subtle, sweet things that happen in my day. The name comes from coffee, wine and beer tasting vocabulary. A "note" of flavor is a very subtle thing that you taste amongst the predominant flavors.

From the simple, and perhaps the mundane, to the extraordinary notes of brightness, I will do my best to share them all here.

Today I had a long day at work. I opened at 5:30 AM, and the whole morning I felt as if I were separated from the world by a layer of plastic. I would touch something, but it wouldn't feel like I remembered. I would taste something, and not be able to taste what I remembered tasting. Anyway, the day dragged on, and at the end of it I had an epiphany of sorts.

I have been thinking for a while about playing a set at the coffee shop where I work. I have wanted to, but just haven't been able to think of what I wanted to play, or when. Then today, as soon as I was off the clock I got my idea. I would play a set called "songs from my past." Performed by "benjamin and Friends." I will play and sing, solo and in ensemble, songs that have been significant to me through the last 10 or so years.

I have spent the last hour reminiscing through these songs, and now I have a brightness and energy that is carrying me through my day.

Share your "honey notes" with me by commenting back, and perhaps we can all benefit in each other's joy.

-Ben

Sustainable trade, better product, fairer world

Today I went to an event held by the roaster for the coffee bar that I work at. I learned a lot about coffee: about brew methods, equipment, taste profiles, and farming/importing. It was fun and informative, but most of all it was very encouraging.

Coffee is the second most legally traded commodity in the world. The only thing higher is oil. An incredible amount of that traded coffee ends up in a can on a shelf at Meijer, and brewed at Starbucks or bigby. But there is an amount of it that ends up in the hands of a crafter of sorts. That is my role. I take a product that was planted and raised to be an excellent bean, and roasted to be an excellent coffee, and I do everything I can to ensure it's excellence in the final product.

In the last five years there has been a culture of excellence surrounding specialty coffee. More and more coffee shops and roasters have popped up that invest extreme care into the product, as well as home baristas and roasters. I myself have only entered into this world in the last two years, but after joining this culture of excellence, I have found something that comes with it which may excite me even more: a culture of fair and sustainable trading.

In the world today, the farmer is almost always the little guy. But the same people who come around the product for excellence come around the process for fairness. The roaster I was visiting today has a few partnership farms, where they buy the entire crop of the farm, and after working through the international trade stipulations, almost write a check directly to the farmer. They regularly visit the farmer, and work with the farmer, exploring technology and other means to create a better product and trade in a more fair way.

I also had the opportunity to talk with a guy who works for a micro-loan company that works for coffee farmers. The company works in a way that tries to get the farmer the best deal for the beans. The process is something of a meritocracy, where the farmer with the best quality beans gets the best price. One farmer he worked with told him this year was the first year he was going into next season's crop without already owing money on it.

All of this gets me excited at the effort of many, and makes me want to educate those who do not know. So with my blog comes a challenge: first, next time you buy a cup of coffee, ask the barista about the care that he/she invests in the product and the process and second, feel good about yourself when you spend an extra buck on a cup of coffee that not only tastes great, but is the product of a process that tries to fairly reward all those involved.

Grace and peace,

Ben

A Little Rant About Silly Things.

Politicians play a game: make myself look good and make other people look bad. They are very good at it. People like to play that game too. They take the politician they like the best, and focus on the positives of that person and the negatives of any opposing. Another thing that is sort of funny is this: before ever learning true, unbiassed facts about a politician, almost every voter already knows which politician that they will vote for, and very rarely does their mind change.

It is a game. It shouldn't be, but it is.

Think about this: if there were two football teams taking the field for the Super Bowl this year, and one of them was your favorite team, you would most likely think that they were going to win. Even if the other team had proven itself to be statistically better, and all signs ultimately pointed to them winning the game.

With sports we form a connection with a team that stays strong despite the rise and fall of the team. This is fine for sports, for a game, but should not be the same way for politics.

I cheer for the Packers because I have always cheered for the Packers. I started cheering for the Packers because my next door neighbors cheered for the Packers. Whenever they go into the game, I have a huge bias that they will emerge the victors. Despite numbers, despite statistics. Last season Packers were ranked 32nd (of 32... that's last) in secondary defense, but I still believe that they will have a miraculous turn around and end up with an awesome defense next season.

Do you view politics in the same way you do sports?

Maybe try it differently this time.

Also, please do not tear down people because of their political views. You are not always right (neither am I), and grey areas do exist, and you never know the full story...

I hope that in this upcoming election we can all come to the ballot with a decision that was made based on unbiassed information, and respect the people who disagree with us.