THE HUMBLE COFFEE BEAN

That first morning sip of much needed coffee ; most of us would be dysfunctional without it!  It clears the cobwebs from our slumber filled thoughts and generally lets our sleep imbued bodies know it’s time to get moving again!

But have you ever wondered why most of us opt for a cup of coffee in preference to most other substances first thing in the morning? Why are we so set on reaching in half blind desperation for the coffee pot; why not go straight for a hot chocolate, a nice glass of milk, or an instant soup sachet?  Every corpuscle in our bodies screams – CAFFEINE as we attempt to waken to the day; that kick-start elixir which twenty-first century man simply cannot function without. 

It is peculiar how a single little bean effects daily, not just an individual, a family unit, or community of people, but an entire world of nations of literally billions of people.  That little coffee bean has become a million, indeed, a billion dollar industry and world-wide resource in itself.  Show to us a city that does not house choirs of people juggling its streets each morning fisted with a steaming hot cup of coffee!  Chain after chain of dedicated coffee stores, café’s and even retail outlets cater to this need alone.  A street side garbage bin stuffed with a single morning’s supply of empty coffee cups is an everyday eventuality almost everywhere nowadays. 

We none of us give a single thought to it, yet the every day impact of that tiny, tiny bean on the very structure of our lives as individuals and as a functioning community of peoples is wonderfully, yet somehow disturbingly massive!  Every day, in our current climes, we concern ourselves rigid over the maintainable and affordable supply of fuel for our machinery and our vehicles, and the negative and unimaginable impact the sudden removal of such supply would have upon us.  How much thought though, do we give to the humble coffee bean? 

It does sound ludicrous; it seems such a minute, insignificant little being in the scheme of the world and it’s current political and financial climes.  Yet – imagine how the removal or unattainability of supply of that singularly important little coffee bean would impact upon society as a whole.  It is a humbling thought; how vital that satisfying cup of warm, tasty heaven is to the daily functioning and decision-making processes of an entire world of people.  The very fabric of society would tear asunder should we any of us never again be able to inhale that intoxicating bitter aroma followed by that first, singularly satisfying gulp as we melt into the assuaging depths of caffeine’s comforting embrace. 

So we say… Long may the coffee bean linger… For the sake and sanity of us all!                                                     © Tezi Magazine