Some years ago a friend tried to educate me on the merits of whisky. He didn’t succeed. Yet what surprised me was his obsession with the art of whisky making. Indeed wine connoisseurs are much the same. And the one thing that stands out in both processes is “time”.
Over the long stretches of time where nothing much appears to be going on while making wine, there is actually something very wonderful occurring? Subtle chemical changes are at work to create a flavour and texture that only time can bring about. Certainly there are chemical accelerants that achieve a similar end, but to those who know, the results are not the same.
In general I am a child of my time. Though I am a reasonably patient person in some things, I find that I am unbearably impatient about having other things done as quickly as possible. This is especially true when it comes to learning something new.
A couple of years back I thought it would be quite cool to learn the violin. My family expressed a degree of concern and so did the neighbours. Needless to say I never went through with it, but not because of the negative expressions of concern. Basically I can pick up essential details quickly, but the subtleties of violin playing were going to take their toll on my patience – that is, years of practice and discipline.
Anyone wanting to make good wine, cheese or whisky knows that they are in for a long wait after the initial work is done. The same applies to anyone learning an instrument well. Yet the reason they succeed is because they know how fabulous the end result will be.
All going well, most of us will get to live a long life, but whether it will be a good life is another question and it seems many people are asking it. Thus, there is a growing trend toward personal spirituality in the western world.
I think there is something of a spiritual crisis occurring throughout the west – both within and outside of religious institutions. It’s not that people are choosing to suddenly believe or not believe, but rather they are aware that social activism to change the world without personal spiritual connection is somewhat pointless. At a deep level we want to change ourselves too. But do we have enough patience and discipline?
In my Christian faith I have discovered this too. It’s easy to go around doing “good stuff”. But my primary relationship with God through Jesus Christ is not about activism but rather spiritual connection and slow transformation. And, like it or not, it requires the disciplines of prayer, reflection and daily practice. My part of the world will only change as I change. The problem is, they both take time.
Making wine is an active process at the beginning, but the real magic happens inside where no one can see. It might be slow, but the result is something wonderful. In the end, everyone benefits.