How powerful is a Tea Shop
The Kremlin, the White House, and Buckingham Palace are places that resemble a basic factor of civilization, namely the concept of Power. Each of those locations is a center of power that can not only change its inhabitants and the country they are located in, but the whole of humanity in split seconds. The same magnitude is held by the Vatican, Mecca, and Sacred Tooth Relic Temple of Kandy, but in an entirely different context. Wall Street, the London Stock Exchange, and Beijing Financial Street carry the power of commerce. As each locality seems to have an influence larger than its physical size, it begs the question of what a Tea Shop holds in terms of power.
A proper description of what kind of a Tea shop is subject to the discussion is needed as a prelude. In most parts of Asia, one will not miss a small boutique where people sit, read a newspaper, or play a game while enjoying a cup of tea. In the not-so-distant past, each village had one such entity where you could also buy your groceries. The most important thing about such tea shops is that they functioned as the place where people gathered to talk, make conversations, reveal messages, pass news, exchange ideas, seek clarifications, give opinions, engage in heated debate, and argue on many topics from religion to politics. There was a spicer side that dealt with the teashop’s surroundings with its visitors having a knack for a little gossip about the village dwellers and local celebrities. While the establishment’s primary purpose was to make profits, it gave rise to a well-sustained ecosystem that included everyone in a village. It was the postman’s break point, a policeman’s information center, and the local hub of trade. Undoubtedly, a teashop owner enjoyed an enormous civil power, yet without the ecosystem of its visitors, those powers meant nothing.
Although times have changed and the tea shops have evolved from their ultra traditional outlooks becoming more chic, clean, and perhaps changed their palate, none of their functionalities have changed. Tea shops are still a central hub of communications where People still gather to carry out civilizations.
While one has to agree wholeheartedly that no Tea shop in the world could push the red button to fire a nuclear missile, announce a strict religious decree, impose a new tax, or declare wars, the tea shops really do hold the power to change the outcome of any such decisions. The crowd that gathers is who pays tax, who would take a gun and go to war, who would donate to the religious establishments, pray to the gods the leaders say are true, and perhaps start a revolution. No, they are not just the foot soldiers who carry out the orders, but an integral and powerful part of that power chain. What they talk, the opinions they create, the arguments they make reach not just the households but an entire network of grassroots.
High on a cuppa, two ordinary people could give birth to a revolutionary idea that can easily ignite a nation’s patriotism, nationalism, or even racism. Perhaps a shared grievance could become a rallying call for a nationwide strike, a concentrated boycott movement, or an armed rebellion. A scribbled note in a tea shop could be the lyrics of a song that touches the hearts and minds of a generation. Conversations made, arguments sustained, debates deliberated, lyrics sung, notes scribbled, anger expressed, emotions shared among the ordinary folks in a teashop thus carry a weight that outweighs brewing a storm inside a teacup instead creating a butterfly effect which could cause a violent storm. In Chaos Theory, it is said that a butterfly flapping its wings in one place could, in theory, alter atmospheric conditions that eventually lead to a tornado or hurricane in another location. That is the magnitude of power a Teashop and its patrons hold. One has to look at a teashop in the same spirit, merit, mindset, and relevance. The pillars of power rest on national parliaments, presidential places, political party headquarters, militant garrisons, tech hubs, and wealthy financial centers, all come down to what takes place inside a teashop.
Times have changed and the inhabitants of teashops have evolved. Whether they carry a Mamoty on the shoulder or a sleek laptop, or whether they drink a sugary plaintea or a fancy Matcha iced latte, it will be the teashops and their visitors who will decide how the world functions and the direction of the civilisation. Any ruler, political or otherwise, who fails to comprehend the intricate, unparalleled, unique nature of this power center is prone to end up being just another footnote of history.
About the Writer
With a master’s in International relations, Dhanuka’s expertise is in Geopolitics and Geoeconomics, among other things. In addition to being the Executive Editor of The Asian Reviews magazine, he works as a guest writer in the Chicago-based Armenian Mirror-Spectator on Caucuses-related geopolitical issues and contributes as a columnist and a guest speaker to the Indian-based Force Security magazine.
He was a grassroots Politician, a political campaign Director, and a council member of a local government body in a small town in rural Sri Lanka. Before entering active politics, he led his foundation in supporting youth and the underprivileged. Currently, he consults youth groups on political activism and general political trends.
He is a poet, blogger, and an enthusiastic climate and social activist who strongly believes in making a better world for future generations. A patriotic Sri Lankan who is a father of a loving daughter.
