Dear Readers,
Here we go again, a new book is born. A few weeks ago, when all the chapters
were already written, I just had to write the Introduction to outline the
purpose, goals, and contents of the book. Which, at least as regards the
contents, was not an easy task at all, since this is a book that ranges across a
vast array of topics and subjects. Yet I was well aware that the contents are
not what matters most, to some extent they are just a chance and an opportunity.
What matters most is what certain events, facts, issues, thoughts, and feelings
can teach us about ourselves, life, and the world around us. I’d say that this
book is a dialogue with myself about my understanding of and relationship with
life itself. Existential, political, and philosophical issues—which are
frequently recurrent in the book—are functional to wider self-knowledge and
self-understanding. But this is not a philosophical book, despite the many
philosophical issues that crowd its pages. Nor is it a political one, despite
the seven subchapters devoted to the Trump era and its implications in the
political, social, cultural, and economic life in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Let’s put it this way: to me, it is always like this in people’s lives, the
idea is to always go forward, to progress toward an ever better condition. And
it is right that it should be so. But reality rarely matches the initial
vision exactly, and often it marches in the opposite direction. Contrary to
popular belief, in our times many never stop unlearning, nor do they give up
rising in the hierarchy of what is contrary to the Good, the Beautiful, the
Just, or simply the Reasonable. Ours are times of intellectual chaos and moral
relativism, if not nihilism, and everything seems on the verge of falling
apart, as the events of the recent past in the U.S. and elsewhere, in case it
was needed, have abundantly shown—by the way, while I was writing the
Introduction, thousands of President Donald Trump’s ardent supporters
violently were storming the U.S. Capitol building, prompting evacuations,
injuries, and arrests...
The whole story of Covid-19 fits perfectly into this context, to the point of
becoming, at least in my mind, an effective metaphor of the Zeitgeist, which
is interwoven with individual and collective pursuits, aspirations, and
ambitions that are so very often ill-conceived, short-sighted, and based on
false premises. Yet, such an upside-down world is nevertheless our one and
only world—and it is well worth fighting for, in spite of everything. In a
small way and to some extent,
Blessed Are the Free in Spirit. A Journal in Complicated Times
is my contribution to the fight.
Like my previous book,
Blessed Are the Contrarians. Diary of a Journey Through Interesting
Times, this one is a kind of diary of a journey through our time—politics,
culture, lifestyles, worldviews, etc.—and back home again, where “home” stands
for a deep sentiment of belonging to our own free and indomitable spirit,
which is much stronger than the spirit of our times, however powerful and
attractive it may be. Moreover, in this book, as in
Blessed Are the Contrarians, I have selected some of the articles
posted on my blog over the last few years, those most suitable for this
traditional mode of communication. In other words,
Blessed Are the Free in Spirit is somehow none other than Part Two of
Blessed Are the Contrarians. But with a couple of differences. The first being
that in this book, the “journal” entries are arranged in chronological order
(from most recent to oldest), as well as by subject matter. The second is that
the author is no longer exactly the same person he was when the first book
came out in 2012. This for the simple reason that time never passes in vain.
As Heraclitus said, “You cannot step into the same river twice.” The water in
the river is never the same, it is constantly moving, so the river is never
the same river twice…
One word on the title of the book. A free-spirited person can be many
different things—even (at least apparently) opposed to one another rather than
harmonious or compatible—because their heart is their compass, and heart has
no boundaries or rules imposed from outside. When they are religious, they
tend to focus on the innermost teachings and truths of their religious faith
rather than the “letter” of the Scriptures—and therefore they’re often, if not
always, on the verge of heresy... They do not dwell on the past but resist a
progress built on the destruction of traditions that go back many centuries
and of the systematic denial of our history and civilization. They are
fiercely independent, but can still develop a close emotional bond with those
who provide for them and look to others for protection. They deeply care about
their beliefs and what they feel strongly about but seem to not worry at
all—except the bare minimum—about normal stuff like money, career, success,
etc.
Free-spirited people are the salt of the earth, they are not restful persons.
You never relax with these people. They are inspiring and thought-provoking,
challenging and uplifting, men and women at their best. They are “contrarians”
in the best sense of the word. And so they are somehow a step ahead of those
to whom I dedicated my previous book. Some time ago, I stumbled upon an
excellent definition of that blessed kind of person: “A free spirit is not
bound by this, that, matter, materialism or opinion. They sing, dance, and
flow on the wind—for they are at one with it. They are nothing and
everything—void and expanse. Even space and time do not confine or define
them. For they are pure energy itself” (Rasheed Ogunlaru).
With that being said, please note that free-spirited does not mean
self-referential, solipsistic, or selfish. Quite the contrary. It’s because
they are deeply in love with Life, Humanity, Poetry, Music, Dance, Theater,
Writing and so many other things that Free-spirited people are what they
are—if they flow on the wind it’s because they are at one with it! If they are
self-confident it’s because they have faith in life! As the French say,
tout se tient (everything fits). Freedom itself is not an absolute, not
an either-or proposition, but a set of relations, possibilities mixed with
actualities. Likewise, freedom of spirit, which is the quintessence of human
nature, is basically the fruit of a compromise, a miracle of balance and
elegance. Ultimately, free-spirited people cannot but be the result of a
coincidentia oppositorum (the coincidence of opposites). As the most
elegant of essayists and a living miracle of balance and intellectual like
Michel de Montaigne once said, “One may be humble out of pride.” Which is
certainly not a good thing, but what if we apply the same scheme in positive
rather than in negative terms? Well, let’s say, for instance, that one may be
cheerful/ironic out of seriousness, easy-going out of severity, naive out of
sophistication, and so on. Hence Montaigne’s writing
en chair et en os (“in the flesh”), as well as the imperceptibly
subversive turns of his sentences and the slyly ironic tone that often creeps
into his Essays. That’s what free-spirited people are made up of, and
why they are the salt of the earth.
By invoking blessings on the Free in spirit, I’m trying to express the feeling
I feel for them, my deep admiration and gratitude for their very special
contribution to mankind and society. They are my North Star, my source of
inspiration, and the reason why I am what I am. I would like to think that in
whatever I write there is something the free-spirited writers and thinkers of
the past centuries would approve of. Likewise, I hope what I write does not
displease the free spirits of our day too much.
Now, for me, there’s nothing left to do but wish you happy
reading and look forward to hearing from you with any questions or comments
that you may have.
Blessed Are the Free in Spirit. A Journal in Complicated Times
Paperback Ed. - ISBN-13 : 979-8702016979 - Publication date : February 5, 2021
Kindle Ed. - ASIN : B08W2DP9RC - Publication date : February 4, 2021
