Kindling the Examined Life
“It’s not about the chocolate, it’s about the chocolate.”
(A musing inspired by Shawn Askinosie’s story about Belgium beer brewing monks and the parables of Jesus)
There once was a monastery in Belgium that was famous in its county for its delicious beer. And at the same time, on the other side of Belgium there was a Greedy Young Capitalist who was gifted a bottle of this beer. Upon tasting it for the first time, the Greedy Young Capitalist had an idea.
So, the Greedy Young Capitalist set out for the monastery, and after days of travel, he knocked on the door and was received by an Old Monk who was the Brewmaster. The Greedy Young Capitalist gave his pitch, “I have tasted your beer. It is the best beer in your county, and I think the best beer in Belgium. If we were to partner, me with my business acumen and you with your beer, I could make this this the most profitable beer in the world!” The Old Monk smiled, declined the offer, and said, “it’s not about the beer; it’s about the beer.” The Greedy Young Capitalist walked home confused and dejected, but not defeated.
The Greedy Young Capitalist worked on his pitch for the entire next year. He built a PowerPoint with snazzy fonts, images that sing, and buzzwords that sting. He returned to the monastery, he knocked on the door and was received once again by the Old Monk who was the Brewmaster. The Greedy Young Capitalist shared his slide deck with gusto and confidence. The Old Monk smiled, declined the offer, and said, “it’s not about the beer; it’s about the beer.” Once again, the Greedy Young Capitalist walked home dejected, but not defeated.
The Greedy Young Capitalist knew the product was perfect, his pitch was superb, he just needed a slew of consultants to confirm that his plan was as viable as he believed. So, the Greedy Young Capitalist got the best consultants that money could buy, and they worked on the plan for another year. He returned to the monastery with hopes high and a cadre of consultants, he knocked on the door and was received once again by the Old Monk who was the Brewmaster. The Greedy Young Capitalist and his consultants shared the viability of their plan perfectly and plainly. The Old Monk smiled, declined the offer, and said, “it’s not about the beer; it’s about the beer.” This time, the Greedy Young Capitalist walked towards home defeated. He was halfway home when he turned back to the monastery, knocked on the door and asked, “I gotta know, what do you mean, “it’s not about the beer; it’s about the beer”?”
The Old Monk welcomed him in, poured him a pint and said, “My brothers and I did not come here to brew beer. We came here seeking God, in prayer, in silence, in community. We were called here to be transformed by God. We came here to live in a rhythm that serves that purpose. If we were to seek to increase our profits, we would need to increase our beer production. If we were to do so, then our lives would be centered around profits and production, and therefore unfaithful to our vocation. So, you see…it’s not about the beer.
It is also true that our community financially supports itself, so we work the fields, brew and bottle our beer as best we can to sell to the people in county just outside the monastery walls. This work becomes a prayer in a way, a prayer that we embody, share, and that sustains our livelihood and vocation. So, you see…it’s about the beer.
At this…the Greedy Young Capitalist dropped his greedy capitalist plans and joined the monastery, deciding to apprentice himself to the Old Monk.
The years go by, the Apprenticing Monk learns the Old Monk’s ways of prayer, discernment, and living in community, as well as the craft of brewing beer. So much so, in fact, that when the Old Monk passes, the Apprenticing Monk becomes the new Brewmaster.
The decades pass, the Brewmaster disappears into prayer and his craft.
Then there is a knock at the door.
An Old Monk who is the Brewmaster opens the door and meets a Greedy Young Influencer who says, “I have tasted your beer. It is the best beer in your county, and I think the best beer in Belgium. If we were to partner, me with my millions of followers and you with your beer, we could make this this the most profitable beer in the world!” The Old Monk smiled…declined the offer…and said, “it’s not about the beer; it’s about the beer.”
photo by Contemplify