I'm kidding. Kinda.
It's like this... Being too early for a meeting at Stage West, where my set for Eureka Day! is building, I tried out a new coffee shop and one of those house flavors that seem like a good idea at the time. Then I sat outside in their pretty courtyard to enjoy our finally cooler Fall weather and to get a little thinking done. 1
The fancy-flavor coffee's cup came with a Bible verse written on the rim, Romans 3:10-12.
Now, I'm the kind of obnoxious person who, as time allows, reads footnotes and appendices, so of course I also look up Bible verses. In case you haven't noticed, it's not uncommon in the US to throw a little Bible into Business. Plumber's trucks or auto repair places or famous hamburger chains 2 will sometimes include a pithy bit of wisdom from the Good Book. So I read up on my coffee cup...
...and my day darkened...
Romans 3:10-12 is of the opinion that we're none of us good and not really even giving it a try.
Oh, that optimist, Apostle Paul! Given the state of the world at this moment though, his view is somewhat... plausible. 3
As it happened, the day was beautiful and I was feeling cheerful and my sturdy (not to say stubborn) psyche was in good enough fettle that I could bounce back from this scolding. What though if another coffee drinker - first sip of coffee of the day! - were feeling a bit fragile?
Here is the verse, as rendered by those poets and scholars of King James:
There is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth,
There is none that seeketh after God.
They are all gone out of the way,
They are together become unprofitable;
There is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Bleak. Obviously I'm overthinking this. But...?! 4 5
Footnotes:
1 - The thinking was progress on the latest fantasy novel... You'll hear more about it!
2 - In-N-Out Burger's fry boat is much more encouraging, especially today: "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes." I like the sound of that. Fingers crossed.
3 - Dark. Depressing. But... y'know plausible.
4 - Please! Oh, writers-on-cups or fry boats... Wield Chapter and Verse responsibly!
5 - The fancy flavor? Kinda... okay? Not sure I'll visit again even with a pretty courtyard.
