Coffee Pot
We have set the stage for exploring this elusive subject we call common sense. In earlier sermons, I explained my basics of common sense. The last one delving into the beauty of human relationships even got a bit maudlin as the theme struck me while I was putting those words into a video. I think it’s time to look at basic everyday head scratching circumstances. Those situations that make you shake your head, leave you gob smacked, or make you ponder how anyone could behave in such a stupid selfish manner.
Enter the coffee pot. I have been in the restaurant industry for over 46 years. In that time, I’ve worked in at least twenty different houses. No matter where I was hanging my hat, there was always one or more people working who would pour the last cup of coffee and put the empty pot back on the burner without making another batch. Common sense would dictate that you start a new pot of coffee for the next person who needs it. In a restaurant, it might be a kitchen worker, another server trying to cope, a manager, or any of a myriad of guests who dined with you on that day. That coffee pot gets forgotten about and then when you reach for it, you find a dry black burnt bottom. Aughhhhh!!!
I understand, you must pull out the basket, throw out the old coffee, put a new filter in the basket, rip open a package of coffee pour it into the filter, slide the basket back into place and hit the button…Whew! Every other person working there is counting on this simple common-sense behavior. And yet, here I am staring at this situation in every restaurant I have ever worked in. Do you think these people all have poor common sense? Do they think the coffee magically resets itself?
No, these people are just plain lazy. It is easier to leave the chore to the person coming after you. Effort is one of the reasons common sense is a rarity. You need to think, apply those conclusions to your situation, and possibly do a bit of work to achieve your goal. Those of us that revel in our knowledge, do these calculations automatically, and use our conclusions to either ask more questions or rectify our current predicament without considering the effort needed. A simple coffee pot can mean the difference between a smooth night and a downward spiral.
Our fight is not just with stupidity but also with inertia. Back to physics and the tendency not to move. Laziness is heralded as the best way to live, trumpeted by movies, advertisements, and the internet. Get something for nothing! The government will pay for it! I want to start at the top, not the bottom! A few selfies and I’m making money! Let AI write that for you! Someone else will redo the coffee! Do not get me wrong, I enjoy my down time as much as the next person, but when other people depend on me, it’s a different ball game. Be lazy on your own time.
Here at the 1st Attitudinal Church of Common Sense, we want to thank you for making the extra effort. Every time you use your common sense, it makes the world and the people around you a little bit better. And yes, get mad at shiftless ignorant lethargy, I know I do.
On that note, please feel free to reach out and share your personal experience fighting the thoughtless stupidity happening in your life. Common sense is by its very nature a shared commodity.
Your faithful servant
Jeff
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