Reflection in a Cup of Coffee: Finding Peace and the Meaning of Life
Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forward.
Reflection in a Cup of Coffee . That day, after working for a few hours, I decided to take myself to a small cafe in the corner of the city. I ordered a cup of coffee and sat down at a small table in the corner of the room. There, I felt the sweet aroma of coffee in the sound of silence. The silence was especially soothing after the chaotic street noise. However, the noise was replaced by the fizz of coffee being made by the cafe’s barista.
While I was enjoying coffee while reading a book that I just bought a month ago, an old man came and sat at my table. He looks like an artist with a long beard and thick glasses on his face. I decided to ask him to talk.
“I’m glad to see you enjoying your coffee here. As Søren Kierkegaard said, ‘Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forward’,” said the old man with a smile.
I was surprised to hear the quote and asked, “What does it mean?”
“Life is a process that we have to go through, and we can only understand its meaning after experiencing it. It’s like enjoying a cup of coffee. We can only feel the happiness after tasting it. We can’t understand how delicious a cup of coffee is just by reading about it,” he explained.
I pondered for a moment and thought about the old man’s words. True, life must be lived and felt, not just read or heard. And enjoying a cup of coffee in the midst of the daily grind can indeed bring calm and peace, as Arthur Schopenhauer said, “Coffee is a simple solution to many problems that philosophy cannot solve.”
After talking with the old man, I felt wiser and pondered the meaning of life. I realized that enjoying coffee is not only a matter of taste and aroma, but also a matter of finding peace and depth of meaning in life.
After talking for a long time with the old man, I felt something was different in my life. I meditate on these quotes and think about God’s presence in this life. I also began to contemplate the meaning in coffee and how God is involved in it.
At that time, I saw a post on Instagram about a verse in the holy book, “Indeed, Allah is good and loving. And He created all His creatures with all the beauty and favors that are in them” (QS Al-A’raf 7: 156). That verse made me realize how God created coffee and gave pleasure for humans to enjoy it.
Then because I was interested in the old man’s quote, I started reading an article by a theologian, Karl Barth, which stated that “Everything that is created, regardless of how small or big, contains meaning in its creation. God created copies to show greatness and beauty- Him to humans.”
I reflected on all of that and realized that God is involved in every aspect of life, including the coffee I enjoy. His presence through a glass of coffee brings serenity and peace to my life.
At that time, I decided to reflect more deeply on God’s presence in this life and how we can get closer to Him. I also spent the rest of the time in the cafe by re-reading my book earlier. I felt calmer and understood every sentence of the book I read after that.
After leaving the cafe, I saw beautiful clouds in the sky and pondered on one of the quotes from Thomas Aquinas, “Everything created by God has His own beauty and perfection. In the beauty of nature and His creation, we can see the greatness and love of God unlimited”.
I smile and feel closer to God after noticing the beauty of His creations around me. And it all started with a cup of coffee that I enjoyed at that small cafe. https://www.haris.eu.org/