Responsible but not guilty

Posted on | December 13, 2005

In signing his name, he thereby wins my esteem… the soi-disant Lionel Lamadon, makes fun of me on one of the French bulletin boards (Iacchos). And I quote:

« Personally, What really makes me laugh in this whole story is the very pompous reference to Thoreau (it’s for us to appreciate the comparison and parallel between his life [Thoreau] and the situation in Rousillon); from memory, in addition to the wonderful quotes presented on the site, Thoreau also wrote in his journal :

"There are two sorts of authors: those that write the history of their time, and those their biography."

I don’t know which category the ego of Bizeul imagines it is in, but not sure it’s the good one…:-o)»

So, thanks my dear Lionel for this lovely quote which I didn’t know. I’m going to hurry and put it up on the Walden site, because I think it’s magnificent.

Whilst on the subject, permit me to tell you that I find that one really has to be incredibly insincere to imply that I take myself for Thoreau. What’s more, this quote applies, if I don’t abuse myself, to authors, to writers, and even if one considers the only work I have written - and of which I am very proud besides - as an « œuvre », I don’t see that it concerns me. For those that may not know it, this essential book  was called - «Irremplaçable Moulin à Lègumes [The irreplaceable vegetable processor]» (Jacques Glènat, if you read this, thanks for having published it…)

I have, in truth, ilittle admiration for Thoreau himself. The man was a scant eater and abstained when it came to wine, very individualistic and solitary in his personal life. But his force of conviction was immense, his ideas also, or at least as we interpret them today.

What pleased me, in Thoreau, (that the whole world pretends to know and have read him, let’s laugh together please  ), is his infinite love of nature. And his absolute confidence, almost stupefying, in the fate of mankind, whose destiny and life he could if he wished, change for himself or, better together.

Lionel, at this time, I don’t have the feeling of writing my life, but to live it fully and consciously. About the project of Walden, I believe in trying to live in my time, but also, at my level, my feeble standards, to change in a small way the world, my world, because I am not really concerned except for the few kilomentres of earth which surround me. And this small world there, I hope to drive along in a direction conforming to my ideas and my values.

Finally, dear Lionel, I think that if all the vignerons were a little more supportive to one another, and wine enthusiasts thought more too, at their level, of solutions so everyone could enjoy better wine, (and perhaps these are connected…) the world of wine would run better.

Another phrase of Thoreau is famous. When he refused to pay his taxes, because he didn’t want his taxes to be used for a war to which he was opposed, he was imprisoned. Emerson had just seen him in his cell and asked him:

« What are you doing in there, my friend ?»

And Thoreau replied : « And what are you doing outside ? »

The internet is for me an extraordinary universe and we still don’t take in its size and richness. I was thinking as usual, a lot, that wine enthusiasts could unite to create, propose, exchange freely without commercial constraint and for a small cost. That they would construct something new. That they would help those new to wine and not commit the same errors they committed in the past. That they would transcend the cutting judgements and would make up the difference in their writings between « I don’t like» and « it’s no good ». That they would enrich their work, their experience, perhaps an encyclopedia like Wikpedia? That perhaps, even, some, little by little would write about their passion, their work and that from there would come the great journalists of tomorrow. I am decidedly a dreamer.

They only get together today to criticise. Everyone does - the vignerons, the appellations, journalists, enthusiasts, always : « too much of this » or « not enough of that ». And when they’ve nothing to demolish, they tear themselves apart, sometimes publicly. In the actual crisis of the system, at least one thing is clear: you, the enthusiast, could carry part of the responsibility, not for having participated, but for not having done anything to alleviate it.

Hervè Bizeul 

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