News from Italy
Dolce far Niente: Living in the moment
Being Italian: “Il Dolce Far Niente!”
by Andira Vitale
One of the expressions that best expresses our lifestyle and our interpretation of life as Italians is “Dolce Far Niente”. I can almost hear you saying, “How can laziness be a lifestyle?” This expression does not mean laziness for us Italians. On the contrary, it recommends meticulously focusing on the moment and doing the actions at that moment. It emphasises the importance of moments, like the expression Carpe Diem, which summarises the philosophy of life: “Enjoy the time, seize the day, live the moment or seize the day” in a verse by the famous poet of Latin literature, Horatius.
This sweet expression also teaches us the value of ourselves and our time. If we could enjoy the moment we are in with just a little effort instead of wasting the present moment while constantly trying to catch something to be happy, wouldn’t we be the happiest? After all, difficulties come our way at every moment. After all, goals never end… But life, made up of moments, flows like an hourglass…
To fully understand the idiom, you must first go out and get lost in the streets of Italy. While getting lost, you must escape the routine intensity and chaos of the day and remember to be in the moment. You must feel awareness and quietly adapt to the moment and your feelings in the ordinary flow of the day. You must stop for a moment and ask yourself, “What am I doing?” and “How should I do it?” for your life.
Instead of always doing everything according to plan, sometimes acting instinctively as they wish…
Slowing down life occasionally, taking a deep breath, sitting down without doing anything and just “being”.
Living a little slower, instead of just walking through the streets, taking your time, admiring the architecture of every corner, noticing the colourful flowers and bird sounds…
Even if you have important work to do now, do not leave without chatting with your friends or neighbours on the street, saying “hello,” and realising the value of this small sharing…
Rejoicing in the beautiful weather, sunbathing, and maybe being happy that you can do this…
Sitting in a café on a side street and sipping every sip of your coffee with pleasure and enjoyment…
In other words, choosing to watch life with a cup of coffee in your hand rather than in its chaos…
In other words, living simply
In other words, it means living passionately and enjoying life.
And increasing our quality of life…
Not objecting to Dolce Far Niente by saying, “I don’t have time”…
If you are looking for sweet idleness to improve your quality of life, reduce your stress, improve your internal communication, and heal, now you know what to do. Take a deep breath, stay in the moment, and just be.
Let’s close the “Dolce far niente” title with a story that tells the beauty of this wonderful philosophy and takes ownership of our moments.
A fisherman was living a peaceful life in a quiet coastal town by catching a few fish daily, spending the rest of his time chatting with his family and friends and playing the guitar. One day, a businessman saw the fisherman and asked:
– “Why don’t you catch more fish?”
– “I have enough fish for these,” says the fisherman.
– “Have you thought about catching more fish and selling them? So you can buy a boat, catch more fish, or even buy a few more boats and start a big fishing business.”
– “What happens next?” asks the fisherman.
– “Then your business will grow. Maybe you will establish a factory, export, and earn big money!”
– “So what about next?”
– “Then you will retire, settle in a quiet coastal town, spend time with your family in peace, play the guitar, chat with your friends,” he says.
The fisherman answers with a smile:
– “Well, that’s what I am doing anyway.”
Sometimes, you need to do nothing to fit more into the present moment. Happiness is not about doing big things but about diligently doing small things.