That’s the question I posed. All friendly baristas ofcourse. Seemed like a good question and everyone had a unique response Some people were stunned by the audacity of it and had to look deep inside their own mind. Some people thought it was hilarious. Some people were clear as a clarion bell, some people couldn’t relate at all.
Press is my common hangout. You can find me there or you can find me anywhere but more often there. You actually step down when you enter this cafe but then you look up and the glass ceiling is soaring above your head, up to a peak 25 or 30 feet high, and God’s blue (usually) sky shining thru and on the ground floor the plethora of plants amongst the scattering of tables and chairs and benches of various styles.
The baristas here are selected for their patient nature, quick wit and willingness to laugh, apparantly.
awright what’s goin on liam ??
nothin much what can i do for you ??
i got a question
oh yeah
do you think it’s all good or we’re going to hell in a hand basket ??
well . . . as of right now it’s all good i would say / maybe hell in a handbasket in 20 years or so
oh ok give it 20 years
yeah yeah as of right now though we’re chillin
And he was too. A strong confident young man, comfortable in his role and at peace with his soul. Not bothered by someone sticking a microphone in his face and asking him a provocative question.
I have a history of sticking a microphone in people’s faces in public places and asking them provocative questions. I’ve been doing that since the seventies and street theatre and Public Access TV (that was long before cell phones - a portable production studio in your pocket). I once had a show called ‘Rohn Bayes Roving Reporter’ (ha ha, eerily similar to ‘the rohn report’, I know) and me and my buddy would roam around and interview people and put it on TV. One time we interviewed Councilman Nofziger’s refrigerator with comments and explanations from Max himself.
Another time we were on the St. Edwards University campus and we asked different women if we could dive to the bottom of their purse with our camera to see what was down there. They had to look friendly and have one of those oversized purses, were the only prerequisites. It was like an expedition to the bottom of the ocean. Possibilities for hilarity multiply with the weirdness and strangeness of the prank, er project.
Anyways, here’s Chi from Oneanother Coffee Trailer responding to the question. I know she wouldn’t mind if I used her voice Beautiful, sweet Chi.
ah . . . it’s going ok, yeah
nice
there’s some bad things in the world but there’s a plethora of good things as well
yeah
we don’t focus too much on the negative
right on i’m doing barista interviews so thank you for your insight and wisdom
thanks rohn
A random person sitting near the fountain at the Pearl. She wasn’t even a barista but she hit it out of the park.
do you think it's all good or are we going to hell in a hand basket ??
i think we’re all going to hell
ha !!
yes i think we’re all going to hell because we tend to stay in our own bubbles and mind our business and i don’t think we do a good job of being good neighbors
wow that was powerful
(laughing) yes (laughing some more) yes
thank you so much
sure (more laughing)
A random person at Press with her kid. What a kind, candid person. I really enjoyed talking to her. When I proposed the question we were outside on the patio, she looked at me and said:
oh god / that’s such a loaded question / i wanna be positive and say it’s all good but i don’t know that that’s true (the laugh of recognition, hesitation) i don’t know what else to say
thank you for being so candid
yeah you’re welcome
appreciate that and here’s your kid lookin on / he’s trying to figure it out too / you think it’s all good ?? (i ask the kid, he looks at me with the sweet innocent face of a four year old) yes (I respond for him) no doubt (laughing)
he doesn’t know any different / he’s got a big smile on his face
he sure does / he’s having fun anyway whatever these adults are talking about
he’s got lots of triggers
yeah right (laughing) thank you so much
you’re welcome
Ok, then I circled back around to Press, they had a new shift on: the Egyptian Priestess and Michelle. The Egyptian Priestess was standing closest to me, manning the register, the place where the magic happens - so I asked her.
ooow that’s a really tricky question / i have hopes buuut (she makes a whirling sound with her mouth) it’s a little dwindled
ah a little conditional / a little edgy
yeah
wow ok wow could be exciting or it could be disastrous
well yeah i know something’s going to happen / i know that for sure
yeah but that’s because you’re an egyptian priestess
well maybe . . . i don’t know (laughter) well i mean it’s learning
yeah thank you for your honest reply
you’re welcome
ok what do you think michelle ??
what was the question ??
the question is do you think it's all good or are we going to hell in a hand basket ??
like everybody or just me ??
ha !! good point (laughter) uh let’s say everybody in general
umh i think it’s 50/50
50/50 ??
yeah cause there’s bad people out there and there’s good people out there
oh the bad people are going to hell
yeah
the good people are going to cruise
yeah like me and you are gonna go cruise and everybody else . . . (indistinct)
nice !! i like it alot thank you michelle
And back to Oneanother where I started out, a complete circuit. Except this was the next day. Bela was running the ship, or maybe boat, it’s only about 12 feet long, not large enough to be a ship. I rode up to the open porthole on the starboard side and there she was.
coffee this mornin ??
yes / i have a question
sure
do you think it's all good or are we going to hell in a hand basket ??
no i think we’re all good
wow !! that’s great / thank you
right on
i’m going to put it on the rohn report as a special interview is that ok ??
hi rohn report
thanks bela
yeah
I don’t know, maybe by answering that question we make it so, atleast for ourselves. That’s what occurred to me while listening to people respond to my question. Nobody actually knows but we believe in something and that sort of tends to create the reality that we live in. Don’t you think so? Maybe I’m wrong. Could be. Have been before.
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