I am so sad to see beautiful Italy undergo all the pain, sorrow and chaos caused by the Corona disease across at the moment. So, I thought the least I could do about a country I fell for years ago is to write a blog post to express my sympathy and solidarity with these really great Italians who are
suffering so much in the most difficult crisis of their existence.
The great Italian poet Dante said, " there is no greater sorrow than to recall a happy time when miserable". I have been to Italy three times in
my life and I have fallen in love with that country. It is a love that is
difficult to express in words but it is a love that sprung from the warmth of
the country, the graciousness of the people, the richness of culture and the
majesty and pristineness of the environment. It really hurts to recall the happy times and warm memories spent with friends and family in beautiful Italy.
I do love my country a love that, in Dante's words "moves the sun and the other stars". But while I love my country, I have fallen in love with Italy too because it feels like home. Elvis
Presley said that “Home is where your heart is” and my heart is at the moment in Italy
where hundreds of good Italians and non-Italians, friends and relatives are dying everyday of this horrific and devastating corona virus.
The people I met in
beautiful Italy were some of the kindest anyone could ever hope to meet: they treated my family and myself like they had known us their whole lives. They treated us like dear guests and we felt absolutely welcome in their presence. We felt welcome and home and accepted and never felt any hassle or exclusion or hostility.
These hospitable Italians lived their life to the fullest and had plenty of joie de vivre. They loved and believed in life of happiness, and of service to others. This begs the question, is it too much to love life and enjoy it before it is gone?
Today, my family and I
feel sad at what is happening in Italy because we have always considered
Italy our second home: We visited and admired her historical landmarks
in the beautiful cities like Venice --“the city of mirrors and mirages” , Milan -- the moral
capital, Rome -- the Caput Mundi, and others. Italy is also a second home because many of my relatives live there in peace,
safety, and security, and without discrimination.
Today, my family and I
feel sorry for Italy which has to put up with all this chaos and uncertainty,
because Italy has become part of our family culture. We often shopped and asked
our relatives there to shop for us at Italian supermarkets: The bed I sleep on is from Italy,
90% of my kitchen utensils were made in Italy, my iPhone and my family members iPhones
and other electronic devices are all from Italy, my first Fiat car was imported from
Italy. Italy is part of us that no one will ever take it away from us.
I am so sad that
Italy, the land of such luminaries like Dante, Christopher Columbus, Marco
Polo, Guglielmo Marconi, Leonardo da Vinci, Galilei, Michelangelo, Lorenzo
Bernini, Enrico Fermi, and many, many more has to endure such hardship alone
and forsaken.
I am grief-stricken that
my beloved Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta BC, SSC Napoli, and others
have to stop giving us joy and happiness. I am grief-stricken that the virus
has shredded the Calcio and deprived fans from the passion the sport makes them
feel.
I am heartbroken for the
closure of Italian restaurants that have always served the best cuisine
worldwide. The cuisine of Spaghetti, Lasagna, Verdura, Ribollita, Focaccia and so
on, which most of the world has loved and copied usually ungratefully. It is
hard to imagine what the world would be like today without Italian cuisine
which gave it Mozzarella, Parmesan, Mortadella, Salami, Ravioli, Nottellete and
more.
Also, today, I am most
disappointed to hear that EU countries have abandoned Italy in her hour of need
and failed to help her cope with Covid-19 pandemic as they had failed to help
her cope with the wave of migrants across the Mediterranean earlier in 2018. I
am most depressed to hear that EU bros had been very slow to answer Italy’s
urgent appeal for medical supplies and protective masks. Real friends can do more than just say "God bless you" when you sneeze and then let you drown when the flood comes. It is time for action; not just tea and sympathy.
It is hard to be
positive in times of uncertainties. However, I am glad at the way these life
loving quarantined Italians face the crisis with their distinct knack for
creative improvisation to turn pain, struggle, and uncertainty into beauty. I
am glad they are united in isolation and believe that ease and relief come after
hardship, and turn to their strong culturally-rooted values of bravery, care,
compassion, generosity, hope, and playfulness. What a lovely sight to see them
sing popular songs to each other from their windows in a spine-chilling display
of unity. I blinked back my tears.
Dear Italy, I am certain
“andrà tutto bene” (everything will be alright). So, scratch your itch yourself, and
remember that Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “what doesn't kill you will make
you stronger.” I believe your people's resilience and solidarity, their zest and zeal for
life and their humor and humanity will conquer in the end, and Italy will come out
stronger than ever.
