The older you get, the more medication you’re advised to take. Chemistry, it seems, can cure anything. Headache? Take this blue pill. Backache? Here’s a green one. Feeling down? Try this blue pill, that red pill, and, just for good measure, this yellow one.
But, if you’ll pardon my language, the pill pushers have it all wrong! Nothing is more therapeutic than a cup of coffee shared with a friend. Coffee is the secret ingredient that nurtures trust and healing, and we should reach for it more often than for pills.
When you share coffee with a friend, you unconsciously unburden yourself. You exchange confidences you’d never tell a stranger, turning your troubles into something you can laugh at rather than cry over. And it’s mutual—one confidence invites another. By the time you finish, you feel closer than ever, like partners in crime.
Doctors tend to see us as machines that just need an oil change or minor repairs, but that’s nonsense. Treat your car poorly, and sooner or later, it will break down. Treat it with respect, listen to its needs, and it will run smoothly for years.
For years now, I’ve driven exclusively Japanese-made cars, and I’ve never had any problems. Before I get into my car, I bow to it, and I do the same when I leave. This little ritual has fostered a kind of mutual respect and cooperation.
The bow is like that cup of coffee. It lubricates a relationship, readying it for whatever challenges lie ahead. If people bowed to each other and shared more coffee, maybe we wouldn’t have so many of the troubles brewing in the world today.
“Coffee is a balm for the heart and spirit.” – Giuseppe Verdi
It’s better to grab a cup of java than head straight for a shrink or pill peddler. It’s much cheaper and, as it turns out, surprisingly soothing. Before any political debate, politicians should be required to share some coffee.
We’d see fewer deadlocks, fewer government shutdowns, and maybe even fewer conflicts because it’s nearly impossible to get angry with someone who shared a cup of coffee with you.
Moral of the story: favor coffee over “magic” tablets and favor friends over therapy.
Alain