I Want to be Italian

You've likely all seen the videos posted of Italian singing together from their windows during their lockdown. Such warmth and kindness in those faces and voices! They reach out to each other and enjoy each other in spite of hardship. It makes you love these people, intensely. I contrast that with the stories coming out of North America -- the gun-wielding man in Loblaws, the price gouging, the angry line-up of people at the cash register, the complaints about not enough testing, and I think the Italians understand love and joy better than we do. They understand community. They understand the value of a slower pace of life centred around home. And when they're told to stay home, they appear to be doing it.

I think if North Americans were told to stay home...well, I like to think Canadians would do it. But there's that North American streak of independence, the "no one tells me what to do" mentality, or the sense of "illness is for weaklings and nothing will touch me."Or even the macho "I don't want people to think I'm afraid." Maybe we have a different mindset because our ancestors tamed the wilderness and forged new frontiers, instead of quietly living in one place for generations. There's a different attitude that arises from quick-build suburbs and fast fortunes, compared to the patience and rootedness (literal and metaphorical) of century-old olive trees and vineyards. When I was in Italy, I was always awed by the ancient stone buildings, lived in continuously for centuries before my country was even on the map.

I know I'm generalizing, of course. I'm sure there are Italians who push in line to buy toilet paper, and I know there are people around me here who are quietly caring for their neighbours. It can't be stated across the board that, while Italians reach for wine glasses, Americans reach for guns. All I know is I watch these lovely people building their community even while they're in isolation, and I want to be more like them. They're going to emerge from all this mess with stronger love for each other. I suspect we Americans will emerge somewhat sheepishly, or with remorse, to find we've got lots of leftover hand-sanitizer and a fractured sense of trust.

I can't sing very well, but I could take my bagpipes into the driveway and serenade the neighbourhood. I wonder if anyone else would join in?