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But have we lost something along the

way in trying to be productive?

In her book, “Coffee Culture: Local Experiences, Glob- now have a sense of coffee culture that spans the globe.
al Connections”, anthropology professor Catherine Tucker Today, coffee is not just a drink that’s useful for its
notes that “the correlation between increasing coffee con- caffeine content; it has become a symbol of social interaction
sumption and industrialization is so strong as to have led some and culture.
scholars to assert that coffee leaped wealthy parlors and
coffeehouses to a beverage for the general population because Hitting the Pause Button
of industrial expansion.”
Before the industrial revolution, coffee was an exotic A century ago, the Industrial Revolution changed peo-
drink, enjoyed only by the elite. This was because coffee was ple’s relationship with time, redefining the way people inter-
expensive and difficult to obtain. With the shift to an indus- act with the natural world. Today we live in the era of the
trial way of life, coffee became more accessible and less ex- digital revolution, our lives often revolve around our working
pensive, as more coffee-producing countries began to emerge hours, and the fast pace of the modern world can make it easy
and export. to forget our connection to the natural one.
In his book, “Tastes of Paradise: A Social History of The human relationship between light and dark is an
Spices, Stimulants, and Intoxicants”, Wolfgang Schivelbusch ancient one that has been shaped by our need for light to see
explains that before the second industrial revolution, most and do things in the world. We are naturally curious creatures,
industrial workers would drink weak beer or ale as their main and history shows that we always try to evolve when it comes
source of liquid refreshment throughout the day. to our way of living. The invention of the light bulb certainly
Coffee began to replace alcohol as the drink of choice sparked a major change in the way we interact with our envi-
for workers, due to its stimulating properties. They could fi- ronment.
nally drink something that would help them stay awake during But have we lost something along the way in trying to
long hours of work instead of becoming more tired from the be productive?
alcohol. It is ironic how a drink that a century ago was being
The Industrial Revolution led to increased factory work, consumed solely as a way to deal with the mental demands of
which limited workers’ freedom and subjected them to sur- a new way of living and working, that same drink today is
veillance and potential punishment if they did not perform associated with slowing down and taking a break. If anything,
well. Coffee became a popular way to cope with the demands it calls for a moment of reflection. Do we need to take a mo-
of factory work, while at the same time sugar became a cheap- ment for ourselves?
er source of calories. Perhaps we need to take a step back and re-evaluate our
Combining the two was an easy way for people to get priorities. I will leave it to you to decide what that means for
the energy they needed to power through long workdays. your day-to-day life. Don’t forget, that we now live in the era
Coffee started being consumed as a way to deal with the of digitalization and we can harness the power of technology
mental demands of a new way of living and working. to help us manage our time in a way that works for us.
Two world wars later, coffee was being traded as a In a world that is always moving forward, maybe it’s time
commodity by soldiers all over the world. Fast forward to to take a moment to pause, listen to our bodies and remember
today, the era of the digital revolution, and we now have more our connection to the natural world. After all, we come from
ways to consume coffee than ever before. Further to that, we it and will eventually return to it.

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