Traveling is usually a good escape from the headline creators. Traveling in Italy is even better because every day about 4:30 in the afternoon, most of the population goes out for a stroll (the last stroll before the apocalypse). Italy was supposed to fall into chaos because a new far right government was just elected. Italians still took to the streets en masse not to protest but to enjoy a coffee or an ice cream at their favorite hangout. They already know that this new government will be gone in 12 months, just like the 74 that came before it since the end of WW II. Who cares? It's time to walk the dog and have a "Spritz" with friends.
Get a grip mate. Have a Spritz. Watch the parade. Relax.
Maybe I should be a bit more forgiving of the "hair on fire" media folks. They've got to make a living. Their business is fear. If they can't sell their hysteria, they are out of a job. Without fear, uncertainty, and doubt, why would you watch their drivel? And to be fair, Italy has been subjected to 2 millennia of doom and gloom. The Catholic church had an enormous vested interest in Dante's Inferno. Everywhere you go in Italy you cannot escape the scenes of what hell will be like. Hideous dark creatures dragging poor souls into the underworld. If you didn't want that terrible ending, the church invented a great solution. You could buy yourself a get out of hell pass because the church invented the business of selling "indulgences". Just make a large donation to the church and get a free ticket to Paradise. No waiting in line. No background checks. And, of course, no refunds.
Botero's depiction of " Hell". Botero loved "overweight" figures.
So the obvious solution to a life of "underachieving" was to simply make a donation. Do not pass "Purgatory" (the Spirit Airlines of the past), do not collect $200. Go straight to Paradise.
A Paradise for everyone. Even those who are "plump".
Finally. Some relief from the doom and gloom media. No more diets. No more exercise. No more social media shaming. This was extremely comforting. Life as it should be. A few years wages for an immediate pardon. It's like getting a 5 year opioid prescription from your doctor. No copays. No oversight. No reviews. No problems.
When I read the 35 latest screaming posts about how the stock market is about to collapse... about how the world is about to fry itself in a nuclear WWIII...about how the climate is cooking the planet... about how there are no more 75 inch flat screen tv's left on the shelves at Wal-Mart... about how I can no longer afford a loaf of bread...about how transgender prisoners can no longer get psychological help...my solution here in
Italy is to go out for a walk.
This Lucca citizen isn't worried. Why should I fret?
The minute I look up and see the deep blue sky and see my first glimpse of giggling kids on the wall in Lucca, I come back to reality. I come back to the present. I come back to a world that continues.
The world doesn't end here tomorrow. It just just continues with a delightful shrug. Italy is just that apathetic! That's why I love this place. That's why I keep coming back. It's my comfort food.
That's my story and I'm stickin to it
Dan
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