“It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: ‘And this, too, shall pass away.’ How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!”
This story about the old Persian adage ‘And this, too, shall pass away’ was told by Abraham Lincoln in a speech a couple of years before he became president of the United States to reflect on the ephemeral nature of things and human condition.
As I write these lines, we have all experienced a world turned on its axis and shaken in ways that were impossible to imagine less than a year ago. In recent months, many of us have sacrificed our personal and economic freedom to the pandemic. Some of our members have lost their jobs or closed their restaurants. Others have been faced with even more personal tragedy.
My heart goes to all who are in pain during these challenging days. But let us remember that “this too shall pass.” For months we have been publishing stories about colleagues helping each other. We have continued to build opportunities for all, all around the world, reinventing ourselves in the process. We have faced uncertainty with creativity, and adversity with solidarity. In essence, and like so many times before, we have all come together to celebrate core values of ASI like camaraderie, hard work, excellence and compassion.
With ASI elections around the corner, this may be the last editorial I write for this newsletter. Therefore, I would like to use this opportunity to say a big Thank You to my team, staff, partners, heads of all the national sommelier associations and each and every member of our global sommelier community: Together, we have strengthened and promoted sommellerie around the world.
I’m extremely proud of ASI and its people, and am more optimistic about its promise than ever. It has been an honor to serve you, and I look forward to continuing working together in the future.
¡Salud!