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Monday, July 25, 2011

Would Buddha send a drink back?

When does our etiquette begin and allow others to end? When are we passive enough to let the rude person cut in line in front of us, or are we angry with so much that we must curse and yell at this person, or even simply bring it up at all. 
I have been listening to a Buddhist podcast lately, it's a very sedative listen. Oddly enough to me, a woman with a thick Scottish brogue speaks through out one of these episodes, her voice just has this mellow ring to it though that is transcendent at the least, what I found to be very fitting of a Buddhist speaker. 
Listening to this has really brought my own criticisms that I this out there, be brought under scrutiny. And I am now hearing my grandfather in one ear, urging me the manly duty of defending your honor, however in the other ear I hear the voice of a Scottish Buddha, and the thoughts conflict often. 
The other night I was out with friends. All cocktail lovers and knowledgeable of the craft. We decided to try The Campbell Apartment, a great vibe, friendly hosts and what assumed to look and operate like a proper cocktail bar. Well long story short they shook gin martinis and hot explicit instructions wrong every time. 
A typical story of assuming you can order a 50/50 gin martini at a bar whom seems should be able to facilitate, and instead getting melee of I don't know what. But nothing that we ordered. 
So full circle comes the thought from before, knowing the business and knowing in fairness if a steak I ordered med rare and came out well done, industry would allow me to critique and send back. However, am I either not being brazen enough or is it better with cocktails to take the bigger mans role, so to speak, and just enjoy that we have a drink.  I'm still baffled at what is the right thing to do?
Another example where I was on the other side of things, I went to a premiere of a movie today. When arriving move ushers directed me to head up a stairwell. I did and there were other people walking up the stairwell as well, well, well, (lol). Anyhow, about ten minutes later some lady yells at me and says,"you know I'm not going to let you cut in line", I was startled, told her I just went up the stairs as directed by the ushers, she went on to gospel her war story of waiting in the rain for this movie, I understood, though thought the tone and manner of informing me were ill. I was just one guy, we were headed into a theater with hundreds of seats, and we were at the front of the line, but, whatever. 
Buddha would have probably not even noticed if someone with no ill will cut in front of him in line. He would just chill to the Chuck Mangione playing on his headphones and keep repeating in mantra,"it is what it is".
A how would Buddha act to his drink not being made properly over and over? Probably something in the vein of, "if the person making this drink can never make a mistake, then he can never learn, and the only one who can never learn is the one who knows all, and he does not make drinks".
Or something like that. Still, my pondering mind wants to know how to tell me to be the man my grandfather was and Buddha all at once. How to be all people to all people and yet still get your way when you pay for it. Hmmm....

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