Coffee Break with the Chief Barista

Are we simply the product of our environment? We've all chewed on that notion from time to time. During my recent conversation with Peter Buffett, we talked about it. As Peter said, “If you were born in New Delhi instead of Milwaukee, you would have a completely different belief system, and you would believe just as strongly about that.”

People hold beliefs, and a belief is something that we keep thinking over and over. And generally, people find evidence to support their beliefs. People who are of one faith find evidence to support their beliefs in the scriptures and teachings of that faith. People of another faith read those same scriptures and teachings, yet they come away with an entirely different understanding of it. How could that be? How can so many people read the same information and come away with such different ideas? Who's right?

Rather than sorting out who’s right and who's wrong, I think there is value in understanding that we don’t have to convince anyone of the "right way." There is value in different opinions. If there is only one right way, who gets to decide what that right way is? And what would the world be like if we somehow got everyone to agree on the right way? The world would end. There would be no new ideas, nothing to work toward, nothing to look forward to, nothing to imagine, no new creations. What makes this world so delicious is the variety of thought, the variety of ways to live, the opportunity to choose. There is no "right way" except that we live to the best of our ability.

There is value in understanding that two or more opposing ideas can be supported and coexist. It's happening everywhere we look. Yes, there are things that we would agree to get rid of—illness, starvation, murder, etc, yet when it comes to basic beliefs, understanding that we are, to a certain extent, the product of our environment allows us to live with a little more peace, patience and kindness for each other.

And speaking of kindness, Java Journal has had the good fortune of having two students from the Rockwood School District join us over the summer. Katelyn Rudolph and Lacy Scarmana have done a terrific job here, writing articles and essays and designing pages. One of the articles, “Random Acts of Kindness,” is one that I hope you will read. We invite our readers to join us as we focus on a week of kindness. Hopefully, we are all extending kindness every day, but we invite you to extend greater kindness for a week, and share your experiences with us. See the facing page.

I want to express my appreciation for Peter Buffett for what I consider a great conversation. We talked about music, philanthropy, his new book, Life Is What You Make It, and his father, Warren Buffett. Rather than telling you about Peter here, I hope you will read the conversation on page 11. And if you have read his book, I welcome your thoughts about it. Feel free to call me at Java Journal, or email your thoughts to marian@javajournalonline.com.

    Marian Rein