Friday, November 13, 2009

The Sociology of Starbucks 1

The local Starbucks, it turns out, is a veritable playground for the latent anthropologist in all of us. Who needs a degree and an office with the famed psychiatrist's couch? You want to acquaint yourself with the mysteries of human nature? Just hang out at your neighborhood coffee joint for a spell.

As I sit here alone on the Starbucks patio drinking my bold black coffee, I become engaged by the human scenery. An elderly man, whose disheveled appearance and sun-weathered skin shout "VAGRANT!", rummages through his timeworn backpack and pulls out a chess board, which he promptly sets up in the traditional 2-player manner. He commences to play against himself...you know, in the now-familiar Disney-Pixar-fashion. Hey. I can say this for him. He won.

Think about it. What could possibly prompt a rational human being to play against himself in a game which relies on stealth and intellectual one-up-manship? Is it possible to gain strategic advantage against "real" opponents by artificially creating scenarios in which you invent both the problem and the solution? It's a legitimate question, is it not? Does he ever challenge an "other" to a game of chess, and if so, how does he handle losing? Or has this simply become part of his compulsory daily routine?

All I know is...after this gentleman soundly defeats his invisible alter-ego - looking quite satisfied with himself for having done so - he very methodically replaces the game in his seemingly very well-organized backpack (a vagrant with OCD? doesn't get much more fascinating than that!), then proceeds to extract another delightful surprise...a pharmaceutical vial labeled "E-Coli" from which he nonchalantly takes a couple swigs before returning it to its assigned pocket in the bag. I'm serious. I suppose the rigors of a nomadic lifestyle demand extreme measures...? How - and from whom - does one actually acquire a vial of E-Coli? Maybe it's readily available at my friendly neighborhood Walgreens and I just don't know it!

After he finishes what appears to be a grooming routine, including finger-brushing his white locks and beard, he slings his life's possessions onto his back, hops on his bicycle and heads out. Next stop...St. Charles? Kansas City? Denver? Does he actually have a destination? Is he hiding/running from his past? Or is he merely adventurous of heart? Is he loved by anyone? Does he like this lifestyle or does he feel trapped in it? Does he ever interact with other human beings along his way?

I don't know where he's bound or why, but I know I've been privileged to observe a few intriguing moments of his life, which leads me to contemplate the variety and complexity of the human spirit as well as The Mind of The Maker.

And all I wanted was a cup of coffee.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would have allowed you to play had you approached me... checkmate?

Anonymous said...

...and I would have paid for your coffee.

Jenn said...

I would presume that the E-Coli was a sticker of sorts that he put on the pharmaceutical bottle for shock purposes. I used to love to visit coffee shops and quietly witness things like this.

Lori Waggoner said...

Dr Jenn, possibly...but he was not showy about it. In fact, he was quite discreet. Maybe that's part of the "show" I don't know, but it was bizarre nonetheless.

Anonymous, what good is a generous offer like that when I don't even know who you are!!