I first watched the documentary ‘Somm’ a few years ago, and to say it changed my life would be an understatement. Four young sommeliers shared their hopes, dreams and struggles, driven by the singular purpose of attaining the Master Sommelier diploma. For the first time, I was presented with the possibility that wine could be approached as a lifelong goal, rather than just another job or hobby.
There is now a sequel coming out, ‘Somm: Into The Bottle’, that promises to be equally engaging and informative. You can see the trailer below:
One quote, however, caught my attention, and I have made it the focus of this post.
Can there be any other business where there is so much bullshit?
Obviously the statement is not meant to be serious, but it does reflect the sentiments of wine enthusiasts and professionals alike.
We could compile a whole list of businesses full of lies and deceit (used cars, stock markets, charities…), but at the most basic level most of us would agree that they have to do with three things: Health, Wealth and Relationships.
Health
Whether you want to lose weight or get that six-pack belly, there is a plethora of information available for you to sift through.
Sadly, much of this information can be conflicting and exclusionary. You can’t eat six meals a day and perform a 24-hour fast at the same time. If you cut out carbohydrates, fats and proteins from your diet, you’d be subsisting on little more than fibre, water and vitamin pills.
To confuse things even more, there are even groups of people framing unhealthy lifestyles as socially acceptable, under the labels of “fat acceptance” and other similar nonsense, contributing to increasing obesity rates around the world.
Wealth
It’s easy to point to Ponzi/Pyramid schemes and stock markets as examples of bullshit in discussions of wealth. But this could also apply to more mundane pieces of advice as well.
Should you bother going to college, or save the money and enter the workforce as soon as possible?
How much of your income should you save?
Which bank offers the best credit card/home loan deal?
Everyone says they’re trying to help you make money, but the end result seems to be them taking your money instead.
Relationships
While most people think of relationships in terms of romance, this can include all forms of human interaction.
How do you deal with annoying co-workers? How can you get your parents to stop nagging you? Are your friends really your friends, or do they hang out with you because you always pay for drinks?
Should you be submissive or aggressive? Diplomatic or confrontational? Smile, or affect a pose of indifference?
Does she really mean it when she says she’s ‘fine’? Or should you just break up with her now and have yourself from further drama?
Everyone will have an opinion on how best to act, yet it seems very difficult to discern who is most correct.
Conclusions
It’s easy to get depressed or confused when you look at the information out there and see how much bullshit there is in life generally.
But if you take things in discreet components and objectively measure them, you will set yourself on the path to truth.
Approach all things calmly and rationally, just as you would approach a wine rationally.
Just as you can train yourself to judge a wine by it’s sugar, acid, tannin, etc… you can learn to take control over your health, wealth and relationships.
Read more: The Story Of The Vine
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