There's a surprise. Aside from not knowing what's coffee and what's a cup, since you know, how would you have conveyed the "intended message" to a broad audience then?
I'll assume a bit of sarcasm in that 'surprise' comment, but seriously, I looked back afterwards at the comments section, and roughly 1/3 of them said much the same thing as I did. It's not an obscure viewpoint.
How would I convey the message? Seriously, I probably wouldn't. I personally find these little 'parables' to be condescending. If you haven't learned what is of value to you and what is merely 'keeping up with the Joneses', then is a little story going to change that? I think not - but that's me. It appears to me to be more like preaching to the choir (enough metaphors in one post?), and the viewers who like it are screaming "Amen Brother!". But are the 'sinners' listening?
I'm reminded of the response Louis Armstrong (thought it was Dizzy - had to look it up) gave when asked:
What's jazz after all?
"Man, if you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know."
I just think they jumped the shark with the 'cup doesn't matter' line, and they lost me at that point, and it strained the analogy. It
does matter, but of course it shouldn't matter so much that we stab our friend in the back to get the better one, or take out a loan we can't afford to buy a diamond encrusted, mink lined coffee cup just to show up our neighbors. But I have to be told that? With sappy music? Not my cup of tea. But I do like coffee, which is why I clicked on the link.
And if your host brought out a range of coffee cups, you'd probably do what most people do (like when a plate of different candies is presented). Most polite people don't jump in and grab the biggest/best piece. They wait, take cues from others, and it works out. But if there were more cups than people, I sure would expect a Styrofoam cup to be left unused. What's the big moral dilemma?
I think I would have tried to say that we can enhance our lives with simple things that bring us pleasure. Like a nice coffee cup. And we should think about the cost versus the long term value in our lives. A nice cup is not expensive, you use it for years and years, you need one anyhow - so why not take small indulgences, when you can easily afford them? Think long and hard about the larger indulgences - is it truly bringing value to your life, or are you compensating for something else? But as I said, that seems so obvious to me, I wouldn't think of making a production out of it. Others see it differently, and the world is made up of different people. That's all.
Answer your question?
-ERD50
