Playing with Perspectives

[UnbornTao]

 

 

 

Edited October 5 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

 

[UnbornTao]

 

 

Edited October 17 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

[UnbornTao]

 

[UnbornTao]

The history of coffee and curious facts about this bean and beverage, by GPT:

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Ah, coffee — that magical potion that’s fueled philosophers, revolutionaries, and insomniacs alike. Let’s dive into its history and a few fascinating facts that make this bean (well, seed, actually) one of the most influential substances in human history.

☕ A Brief History of Coffee

1. The Ethiopian Legend (9th Century?)

It all supposedly started with Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat herder. He noticed his goats getting unusually energetic after eating red berries from a certain bush. Curious, he tried them himself — and voilà, coffee’s stimulating powers were discovered. Monks later used it to stay awake during long prayers.

2. The Spread Through the Arab World (15th Century)

By the 1400s, coffee was being cultivated in Yemen. Sufi monks used it to aid spiritual concentration during nighttime devotions. The port city of Mocha (yes, the word “mocha” comes from here) became a major coffee trade hub. From Yemen, coffee culture spread to Mecca, Cairo, and Istanbul.

3. Coffeehouses as Centers of Culture (16th–17th Century)

Coffeehouses became known as “Schools of the Wise” — places for conversation, politics, poetry, and philosophy. They were even seen as subversive by some rulers because they encouraged free thinking. The Ottoman Empire tried to ban coffee several times… unsuccessfully.

4. Europe’s Coffee Craze (17th Century)

Coffee hit Venice in 1615, then spread through Europe like wildfire. Initially called “the bitter invention of Satan” by some clergy, Pope Clement VIII supposedly “baptized” it after tasting it, declaring it too delicious to be from the devil.

Coffeehouses soon became hubs for intellectuals — Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau in France; Newton and Samuel Pepys in England.

5. The Colonial Boom (17th–19th Century)

European powers rushed to grow coffee in colonies. The Dutch planted it in Java (hence “a cup of Java”), the French in the Caribbean, and the Portuguese in Brazil. By the 19th century, Brazil dominated the world’s coffee supply — and largely still does.

6. The Modern Era (20th–21st Century)

Instant coffee emerged around WWII. Then came espresso culture (Italy), specialty coffee (1970s onward), and eventually, the third wave: treating coffee as an artisanal craft, like fine wine.

Now, we even have lab-grown coffee and debates about sustainable production and fair trade.

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🌱 Curious and Fascinating Facts

It’s a seed, not a bean.

Coffee “beans” are actually seeds from the fruit (called a cherry) of the coffee plant.

Two main species dominate the world:

Arabica (70% of global production) — smoother, more nuanced, and high-altitude;

Robusta — more bitter, higher caffeine, and more resistant to pests.

Coffee inspired revolutions.

The French and American revolutions both had coffeehouses as gathering points for radical thinkers and planners.

It’s the second most traded commodity in the world, after crude oil (by value).

Finland drinks the most coffee per capita.

The average Finn drinks about 4 cups a day — they even have mandatory coffee breaks at work.

Espresso doesn’t mean “strong.”

It means “pressed out” in Italian. Espresso is a brewing method, not a bean type or roast level.

Caffeine is a natural pesticide.

The plant produces it to ward off insects.

The world’s most expensive coffee comes from animal poop.

Kopi Luwak (Indonesia) is made from beans eaten and excreted by civet cats. Similarly, Black Ivory Coffee comes from elephant digestion.

Coffee can ‘perk up’ plants.

Used coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen and make great fertilizer (though too much can acidify soil).

There was once a coffee ban in Mecca, England, and Prussia.

Authorities feared it encouraged sedition, free thought, or distracted soldiers.

 

[UnbornTao]

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:07 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

 

 

Edited October 26 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

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The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now

- Thich Nhat Hanh.

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:12 AM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Consider that "silence" is already the case now. 

Can you listen? 

[UnbornTao]

If you're not eating this regularly, you're just not at my level of consciousness.

And I kind of resent you for it.

Edited Tuesday at 10:32 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Getting past your assumptions actually increases your creativity and sense of wonder. Things take on a deeper presence and an air of mystery.

But you have to do the work for that - not just think about it.

In the end, you're always on your own - with your experience.

[UnbornTao]

 

 

[UnbornTao]

So Bloodborne can be played on PC. https://www.reddit.com/r/BloodbornePC/

Edited yesterday at 02:54 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

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Do you know what loneliness means? Some of you may be unfamiliar with that word, but you know the feeling very well. You try going out for a walk alone, or being without a book, without someone to talk to, and you will see how quickly you get bored. You know that feeling well enough, but you don't know why you get bored, you have never inquired into it. If you inquire a little into boredom you will find that the cause of it is loneliness. It is in order to escape from loneliness that we want to be together, we want to be entertained, to have distractions of every kind: gurus, religious ceremonies, prayers, or the latest novels. Being inwardly lonely we become mere spectators in life; and we can be the players only when we understand loneliness and go beyond it.

After all, most people marry and seek other social relationships because they don't know how to live alone. Not that one must live alone; but, if you marry because you want to be loved, or if you are bored and use your job as a means of forgetting yourself, then you will find that your whole life is nothing but an endless search for distractions. Very few go beyond this extraordinary fear of loneliness; but one must go beyond it, because beyond it lies the real treasure.

- J. Krishnamurti

 

Edited yesterday at 03:15 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

 

[UnbornTao]

 

[Sincerity]

On 10/28/2025 at 8:41 PM, UnbornTao said:

If you're not eating this regularly, you're just not at my level of consciousness.

And I kind of resent you for it.

Damn, a fellow beans lover. 🤣

It's a great journal you have here. 

[UnbornTao]

Just now, Sincerity said:

Damn, a fellow beans lover. 🤣

It's a great journal you have here. 

 Thanks.