Pride & Sacrifice

“We all must give something up for the good of Italy, There is no more time.”

These were the words of Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte during his March 9 announcement to put the whole country on “lockdown.” This was an unprecedented move; one that had not been invoked since WWII, but the Italian government felt it was in the best interests of the nation to do so.

Not only did Conte give the order for everyone to stay home, he also canceled all sports gatherings across the country, urging citizens to keep the common good at the top of their minds and help control the spread of the coronavirus.

Now, I know that Conte is, like many other politicians, loved by some, reviled by others, but what has impressed me is that this leader did something: he led.

And, by and large, people followed. The infection numbers have not started to tail off yet, but the hope is that containment will help flatten that curve. While fighting an unknown foe, doing what is right is usually the answer.

We’ve seen reports of lack of compliance in the larger cities, but in this small town of Cortona, it’s fairly evident that everyone has complied with the directive to “restate a casa” – stay at home. This, even though it is affecting the livelihood of thousands of people whose shuttered businesses are providing them with no income. Yes, there have been monetary concessions made, but it will take time for the Italian economy to recover from this blow.

Even though the streets are empty during the nighttime hours, the front of Cortona’s Palazzo Comunale is now lit up each night with the “tricolore” – the green, white and red stripes of the Italian flag. Most will only see it in photographs, but all will understand the solidarity that it represents.

In my many years of travel here, I’ve learned about the Italian’s strong sense of national pride. However, Italians understand that their little peninsula is one small part of a larger continent and an even larger world. My Italian friends have an innate understanding that we are all in the world together. So, people here see that staying home is not only for their own good, but also for the good of their neighbors, their friends, their country and their world – our world. It’s a mutual trust that we all will do what is right for each other.

The contrast between what has happened here and what we are reading about our own country has not been lost on us. Italy has a leader who took charge and made hard decisions in the light of facts and science. And, even though the U.S. president Trump has now decided that he thinks this is serious, he spent weeks denying, downplaying and, as his wont, patently lying about the situation. These were weeks where there should have been action, not denial. Was no one looking at what was happening here in Italy?

Trump has already hurt my country in so many ways, ranging from regressive environmental policies and rejection of the threat of global warming to division and polarization of the citizenry. His denial of what he initially called a “hoax” – the very real novel corona virus – has lost us precious time and likely even more precious lives. Moreover, it sickens me to see a global problem turned into a nationalist issue as Trump tries to figure out ways to blame others for his failings as a leader. Accepting no responsibility is not a primary trait of a leader.

Part of why I started this journal was to track what was happening here for my friends back home so they could track what happens – even in a country with world-class healthcare and sound leadership. Of course, I’m just one little voice in a large crowd of warnings coming from Italy about what happens when you don’t take a global threat seriously. Get off the beaches in Florida, stop meeting your friends for lunch, stay at home and do your part for the good of us all.