L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021 L'Italo-Americano L i t e r a l l y , d o l c e f a r n i e n t e m e a n s " s w e e t doing nothing," but in truth it is much more than that. It is hands down one of Italy's most coveted activities, and not because we are lazy, but rather because in today's busy world, any moment of respite from work, stress and responsibilities is wel- come – and who wouldn't agree with that. But there is a difference b e t w e e n I t a l y ' s d o l c e f a r niente and, let's say, idling around, because dolce far niente should be somehow constructive and soul sooth- i n g . T h e f i r s t t h i n g t h a t comes to mind here is the ancient Roman concept of otium. We Italians associate t h e t e r m o z i o w i t h d o i n g nothing and being lazy, but our ancestors had a com- pletely different view of it. While otium was – to them, too – a break from official duties and work responsi- bilities, there was no lazi- ness of idleness in it: otium was rest for the body, but meant to nurture the mind; i t w a s a t i m e t o r e a d , t o g r o w s p i r i t u a l l y a n d t o expand the intellect, as well as cultivate friendships and enjoy the pleasures of life. Sounds amazing, and pretty different from our walking around the living room in m i s m a t c h e d p j s , w h i l e munching on a day-old slice o f p i z z a , l o o k i n g f o r t h e remote– yes, it is an incred- ibly accurate description, because I find myself doing this a lot. In antiquity, otium was a l w a y s o p p o s e d t o negotium, that is, work or all those daily activities a good citizen would take part in for the smooth running of society; in other words, otium was everything that was not connected to public activity. Here is where the R o m a n s s h o w h o w g r e a t they were, though, because o t i u m w a s n ' t i d l e n e s s – which was frowned upon – but rather time destined to the care of one's mind and well being, and to the cre- a t i o n o f w i s d o m . O t i u m meant studying, reading, reflecting and meditating, but also confronting one's thoughts with others and d i s c u s s i n g a b o u t l i f e . I n m a n y a w a y , o t i u m w a s when philosophy came to be. I n h i s D e O r a t o r e , C i c e r o wrote that otium and negotium were equally important and should both be practiced, while Horace believed that otium was the only way for Man to be free, because it allowed the indi- vidual to escape ambitions and the superficial demands of society. Ovid went even f u r t h e r , s t a t i n g t h a t h e wouldn't have been able to create and write, didn't he enjoy otium, showing a view that stresses even further t h e c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n otium and the cultivation of wisdom, creativity and good thinking. It was only in later cen- turies – and especially in the 20 th – that resting from activities began being asso- ciated with idleness, rather t h a n w i t h a c o n s t r u c t i v e moment of reflection and e n j o y m e n t o f l i f e ' s p l e a - s u r e s : t h i s h a p p e n e d because the importance of self-improvement, continu- ous learning and philoso- phy got lost in the restless r h y t h m s o f m o d e r n l i f e . And so, the Romans' otium t u r n e d i n t o b u m m i n g a r o u n d w h i l e t r y i n g t o recover from a responsibili- ties' binge. But our dolce far niente is not quite like that. E n g a g i n g i n d o l c e f a r niente is more than passive- ly sitting in front of TV on a Saturday morning, it has an active quality to it; it means engaging in something we truly enjoy and that gives us happiness, something that enriches us. Mind, it doesn't necessarily mean picking up a book and learning some- thing new – although it may as well be so. It can be hav- ing an early morning coffee on the porch while looking at nature waking up, or bak- i n g a f a v o r i t e c a k e j u s t b e c a u s e w e f e e l l i k e i t . Dolce far niente moments are usually filled with activ- ity, but activity that's only for us and for our own ben- efit and happiness. And because Italians are n a t u r a l l y s o c i a b l e , i t s h o u l d n ' t s u r p r i s e t h a t d o l c e f a r n i e n t e o f t e n i n v o l v e s t h e p r e s e n c e o f meaningful company. Take our beloved aperitivo, for e x a m p l e : a f t e r a d a y a t w o r k , i t i s a m o m e n t o f r e s p i t e f r o m s t r e s s a n d responsibilities, where we meet with friends and revel in their company, sharing the highlights of the day, taking and giving advice, u n w i n d i n g , l a u g h i n g a n d relaxing. It is a moment of joy and sharing, of extreme simplicity, that helps us get r i d o f t h e s t i f f n e s s a n d stress of a day at the office. Or think about a week- end at home alone: think of the dozens of activities you c o u l d e n j o y i n t h o s e 4 8 hours of pure bliss, from l i s t e n i n g t o m u s i c t h a t soothes your soul, to read- ing a good novel all the way to learning how to cook a new dish: this is all dolce far niente. The secret is that dolce far niente is constructive, it makes us better. It is some- thing that may not be "use- ful" but is indispensable, it may not be remunerative but is precious. Because it makes us better people, it m a k e s u s e n j o y l i f e a n d appreciate its smallest plea- sures; it lets us be who we truly are, regardless to the image we give of ourselves to society. People enjoying some down time together. In Italy relaxing – or dolce far niente – is an important concept that is as ancient as culture itself (Sabino Parente / Shutterstock.com GIULIA FRANCESCHINI LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE F r o m R o m a n o t i u m t o m o d e r n dolce far niente: when relaxing becomes a meaningful activity

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