{"id":6353,"date":"2013-10-05T13:28:03","date_gmt":"2013-10-05T17:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/?p=6353"},"modified":"2019-07-20T17:03:28","modified_gmt":"2019-07-20T16:03:28","slug":"honesty-is-the-best-policy-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-dock.org\/blog\/2013\/honesty-is-the-best-policy-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Honesty is the BEST policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

So here we are, a month into term and into ‘busy season’ at Dock cafe. While the numbers of customers calling into the cafe have been increasing week-on-week ever since we opened the doors back in March 2012, the start of term-time at the Belfast Metropolitan College campus across the road is probably the biggest single factor affecting the daily tally.<\/p>\n

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\"IMG_5338\"<\/a>These days we’re regularly welcoming 300+ per day – a tremendous privilege. Seeing a space as big as Dock Cafe full of people and conversation and noise and life in every single corner is quite a sight!<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5329\"<\/a>Of course that means that we’re constantly ramping-up every single aspect of the Dock activity. More customers means more volunteers are needed all the time (spread the word!). More dishes and mugs and plates to be washed – Doris The Dock Dishwasher didn’t know what she was letting herself in for… More chaplains (hurrah!) for more \u00a0conversations, more prayers in the prayer garden, more strangers welcomed, more friendships founded, more lives touched and changed and inspired by the daily life of one wee cafe.<\/p>\n

And one big question that people constantly ask – more money? Is the Honesty Box still a wise foundation for a project that is growing so fast?<\/p>\n

\"honesty-box\"<\/a>To which the simple answer is – Yes. The \u00a0straight financial truth is still that, on balance, the honesty box covers the daily cafe costs of coffee, tea, buns, scones and soup. \u00a0A tremendous good news story and one that constantly surprises and inspires everyone who asks… Dock Cafe \u00a0is statistical, empirical proof that people are decent!<\/div>\n
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But then the slightly more complex answer is… Not always. \u00a0There are days when the Honesty Box looks a bit sorry for itself at the end of the day, filled with coppers and loose change and the occasional piece of chewing gum. Within some weeks (or even some days) of cafe life, it’s pretty obvious that a few generous customers are supporting a few stingy ones. And I’ll be honest – those can be discouraging days, and the questions start coming – are we crazy to be sticking to this Honesty Box idea?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\"IMG_4713\"<\/a>Those are the days when it’s important to keep praying and believing, and remembering that The Dock is not about money but people, and conversations are more important than contributions. \u00a0And when I’m getting back to first principles I often think of this video which I saw as part of a Ted Talk. It’s a beautiful, short, sharp reminder of the importance of believing the best of people – from a man who, amazingly, had seen some of the absolute worst (Viktor Frankl lived through the holocaust).It helps that he is a fantastic communicator, and sounds like a mad scientist who accidentally has just solved the theory of relativity while inventing a device for darning socks. \u00a0But his core argument is an absolutely fundamental value of The Dock, expressed best in the Honesty Box. Even if you don’t tend to click on these little Dock videos, watch this…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n