WHAT MAKES HAPPY PEOPLE. THE ITALIAN WAY
Presented at TEDxVitosha (Bulgaria) on “Happy people” January 27th, 2018
If I had to talk
about what makes me happy, it would be easy for me today! I could just say that
speaking at a TEDx with you this morning makes me really happy! Great
experience.
But I have a more
difficult task today: I shall try to uncover - more in general - what makes
“happy people”.
So the first big question is “What is
happiness”.
There have been
many attempts to measure it, but there is one short poem that I find
particularly helpful for this purpose:
I asked God to give
me HAPPINESS,
And God said,
“No.”
He said He gives
BLESSINGS,
Happiness is up to
me.
We all have many
blessings, but very often we do not realize it or simply we do not consider
them blessings. It took me some time to understand this. To understand, for
example, how important to me was my country, Italy, and what it has represented
in my life.
As Italian
Ambassador my job is to the represent my country abroad. I think it is a great
privilege! When I meet new people they often tell me
“I love your country. You are lucky!”
Indeed I am.
I will try to go
through some blessings, that you will certainly find also in your country,
which can contribute to your happiness…. At least, that’s what they did for me!. And I will do it taking as an example Italy.
Let me make a
quick survey:
How many of you
have ever been to Italy?
Please raise your
hand. Well I see many hands up.
If so many of you
have been to my country, probably for leisure, it must be because you wanted to
spend some pleasant time and be happy.
One particular
blessing is BEAUTY.
Beauty has many
different forms and aspects such as art and landscape. If you live in or if you
visit Italy, you are probably going to find yourself in a place with deep historical
roots and artistic tradition.
This small town
that you see here is one of the many wonderful and well
preserved medieval villages of Central Italy. This is Città della Pieve
in Umbria where I was born.
Città della Pieve is the hometown of a famous Renaissance painter
called “Perugino”.
In this beautiful
masterpiece of Perugino, that is in Città della Pieve, you can also see the
typical Italian landscape as it was represented in Renaissance time: a scene
that gives you a sensation of peacefulness and harmony.
If you think for a
moment about how these masterpieces have been created, you’ll find that is not
very different from the technique we should adopt in building a happy life. A beautiful
painting is done one brush stroke at a time. With patience and time. Sometime
making mistakes that need to be corrected. Well, I believe that’s how you
should go about in pursuing happiness too.
But now let’s move
to another blessing that we have in Italy - and probably the one we are most
famous for - is FOOD.
In Italy you can
find an incredible variety of typical food, very different from region to
region. Here you can see different Italian cheeses. One estimate talks of about 600 different types, out of which more than
50 have protected designation of origin (DOP).
We can observe the
same variety in Italian wine. You probably all heard of Chianti, Barbera, Rosso di Montalcino, Pinot or Prosecco. Good wine
always accompanies good food and this explains to you why in Italy we have more
than 260.000 wine producers….. You have a wide choice.
But when you think
of Italian food you think also of Pasta!
This is a quote by
one of our most famous cinema directors, Federico Fellini. I fully agree with
it!
A balanced and
varied diet like the Mediterranean diet is essential for a healthy body and a
happy life. It is not by chance that the Mediterranean diet has been included
into the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. (well, it is called
“intangible”, but I think food is VERY tangible….)
But there are
other blessings besides art and good food. Another blessing is WEATHER. And
Italy is also appreciated for this.
My country is well
known for sunshine and plenty of daylight while also having four different
seasons during the year. I think we all agree that we all feel better when the
sun is shining and we can go outside. At the same time
it is also very pleasant to be able to experience the cycles of nature.
And talking about
seasons, I think it is not by chance that one of the most famous pieces of
Italian classical music is “The four seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi a famous
composer who lived in Venice in the 17th century.
I have always
loved music and I am convinced that listening to nice music can lift your
spirits. We have a great tradition in Italy not only with classical music but
also with Opera and Traditional popular songs.
How many of you
know this piece?
Raise your hand.
You are listening
to “O Sole mio”, one of the most famous Neapolitan
songs written at the end of the XIX century.
When you listen to
it you are going to immediately smile
and think of Italy, in particular of Naples.
This is a very
simple proof of how MUSIC affects your mood and how it can move your emotions
and make you think about one specific country.
Let me now share
with you another little secret related to the Italian way to happiness. Another
element that surely influences our state of happiness is how we feel about
ourselves. And if we are well dressed and other people appreciate our style we certainly feel better.
Italy is famous
for FASHION and Italians are well known for the attention they put in the way
they dress. I am sure that if you are walking in a crowded street you might
recognize any Italian you see by taking a look at his or her stylish outfit.
So we talked about art, weather, food, music
and elegance. These are all important factors for happiness and they are part
of the Italian way of life and they can be found in different forms in many
countries.
But that certainly
doesn’t mean that all those who live under these conditions are happy.
WHY?
A Quote by Marcus
Aurelius, a Roman Emperor and philosopher who lived in the second century after
Christ, can help us to understand better what might be missing
“THE HAPPINESS OF
YOUR LIFE DEPENDS UPON THE QUALITY OF YOUR THOUGHTS.”
Happiness depends
on YOU! It depends on each one of us.
So what is the essential element that is at
the core of living a happy life?
We can really
enjoy what we have, what has been given to us, only if we appreciate it.
So look carefully around you and always
remember to COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!
It’s your best bet
for reaching happiness
Thank you!
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