What Can We Learn From Italians?

In the Vatican document Gaudium et Spes, it reminds us to be open and understanding to new cultures and to try to expose ourselves to them so we can learn as much as possible about other people to help reduce conflict. So what can Americans learn from the Italian people and their culture?

Throughout our eight-week stay in Rome we have been able to observe many Italian habits and have had the chance to visit San Giovanni Hospital to aid us in learning about Italian healthcare and their attitude towards being healthy. After seeing all of this I have found that Americans can learn from and, maybe should adopt, some Italian habits. Walking, at least in Rome and the other cities, is a huge part of everyday life. It is more expensive to drive a car in Italy than in the U.S. so many people choose to take different means of public transportation such as the trains, metros, and buses, or some just choose to walk if they can. This is not only a habit that can help keep one healthy but it also helps to reduce waste and gas consumption. During our homestay experience, our Italian mother told us that she walked almost everywhere; she was 60 years old and was in great shape. We walked home with her one night and were surprised at how fast she was moving through the streets, and at the end she was not even tired like many people would be. She said it was because she was used to it. I know in the U.S. especially in the more rural places, walking is not always the best option, even more so because of the more extreme weather that we have. However, I think that if we are able to walk somewhere it would be much better for our health to do that instead of jumping in to a car.

The Italian diet is much different that what most people in the U.S. are used to. Yes, there are a lot of carbohydrates here and a lot of wine. But the way people eat and the times that they eat seem to make a difference for them. Our homestay families did not snack on junk food like many people do at home; they would only eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And all of these meals were homemade; the ingredients were bought that day and used that day and just enough was made for each person to have one portion. Food was not wasted and no one seemed to stuff themselves each night unless it was a special occasion.

Italians have a much different view on healthcare than most people in the United States. Our homestay mother and siblings tried to explain. They said that they viewed it as something that everyone will need at some point in their lives, therefore everyone should have access to it. To them it was very simple and when we brought up the idea of paying for what you needed they did not quite seem to understand. It was not natural to them. I think that this last point is one of the most important things that we can learn from Italians. In the surveys that we did most people were for public healthcare, and sometimes they would tell us why. It was the same answer as our homestay mother gave us; everyone will need it eventually, therefore everyone should have access to it.

Prayer and Illness

Throughout the Gospels Christ reminded his followers to pray for things they needed, and to also use prayer as a way to worship God. But can prayer really aid in the cure of illness and disease? Does religion or spirituality play a role in recovery?

This is a difficult question to answer, and we may not be able to rely on science and facts alone. At the visit to the San Giovanni Hospital in Rome we learned that when an Italian person stays in the hospital usually the whole family comes too. And in a nation where over 90% of the population is Catholic, prayers are bound to come in the hospital room too. I think intercessory prayers can and do help people; the Church (and Christ) would not tell us to pray if there were nothing behind it. All over the world there have been cases of miraculous healings and visitations from various saints. One example is in Lourdes, France where people go to climb in the water and pray, and to hope that they will be healed. In different churches throughout Rome there are some icons and relics that are said to be able to aid in healing and pilgrims have come to touch these things and pray near them. But in the instances of the Italian families (and others too) I think that the support of family and friends is also a big factor in recovery. In some cases the family and friends may be the ones to push the patient towards recovery; reminding them to take their medicines or do their therapy. Or they may just be what the patient needs to feel better.      

This might cause people to wonder why, if God would just cure them through prayers, he would allow them to get sick in the first place. Then this would lead one to ask if illness was predetermined or not; does God choose to give certain people diseases? I would answer, no. God did create the universe and in some way established the evolutionary process. Diseases that result from gene mutations are a product of this process; they don’t necessarily have to be a single act of God. We can say he allows these things to happen for reasons that we may not understand, but I have a hard time concluding that he specifically picks people out and gives them diseases. I think that diseases are the products of evolution and the broken world we live in. I don’t think God handpicks people to be sick, but I believe that prayer can help. I do not believe that we can know everything strictly from faith or strictly from science, I think a marriage of the two is necessary and best helps us to understand the most difficult questions that we can ask ourselves. Gaudium et Spes also reminds us that science and faith go hand and hand because the truth cannot contradict the truth. In summary I believe that there can be instances of divine intervention in some cases, but I also believe that we should first rule out other explanations all the while being open to the possibility that more than just science could be at work.

Final GL Blog: Being a Global Citizen

In chapter two of Gaudium et Spes the document states that, “man comes to a true and full humanity only through culture, that is through the cultivation of the goods and values of nature. Wherever human life is involved, therefore, nature and culture are quite intimately connected one with the other.” It goes on to explain the importance of understanding other cultures because this in turn helps to foster peace between diverse groups of people. The proper development of culture is emphasized throughout the document in order to increase love and understanding and diminish conflicts that come about as a result of ignorance.

One of the best ways to absorb another culture is to be fully immersed in it as much as possible. That is what we attempted to do on our eight week trip in Rome. We have explored numerous places and have eaten in more restaurants and cafes than I can count, and in those places we encountered a lot of Italians. Some spoke English very well and others only a few words at the most. We had to use and invent new skills when it came to ordering food and asking for directions. We had to learn how to navigate the public transportation system and be patient while we were squished inside of buses and metro trains. We learned how to spot suspicious people who may attempt to take our things, we even learned how to properly hold and guard our bags. We had to learn how to be Italian, specifically Roman.

All of the new skills that we learned have made us global citizens. One of the things that I was most nervous about before coming to Rome was figuring out transportation, not only around the city but also when we were allowed to travel to different places for our free weekends. It seemed like such a daunting thing, now it is no problem, even in other countries besides Italy. I have a greater understanding of how those types of things work over here, and a greater appreciation for the car I drive at home everyday. Navigating the transportation, along with other aspects of the trip, has in general increased my confidence in my own abilities to travel to new places. I am no longer nervous about trying to ask someone for directions, even if that person does not speak English. I have figured out ways to communicate with people that I would not have known before traveling here.

For one week we had the opportunity to stay with an Italian family in Rome. I was able to see how they lived their daily lives, what they did for meals, and how they spent their free time. It was similar and yet different from what many do at home. I felt that I learned the most about people from the homestay and from sitting down and watching people. Understanding different people can contribute to becoming a global citizen because we are able blend in better and not stick out so much as a tourist. This is good not only for safety reasons but I think it also shows respect for the host country. It shows that we are trying to understand and adopt their ways rather than staying persistently ignorant.

The Catholic Church: Roman and Global

The headquarters of the Catholic Church are located in Rome, Italy. However there are Catholics just about everywhere in the world. The Church is both Roman and global.

            Christianity is imbedded in Rome; saints and martyrs taught and were killed in the city, it was home to the first Christian emperor, elaborate churches were constructed on almost every street, and pilgrims have flocked to the city for centuries now. For many years the mass was said in Latin, the language of the Romans. However some of these things happened in other nations eventually and churches were built all throughout Europe, so why is it called “Roman Catholic”? I think part of the answer to this is that Rome was the center of one of the largest and longest running empires in history. Even in its period of decline it was still a treasure. Also, in the initial stages of Christianity Rome was a large pagan city; a good (but maybe dangerous) place for a lot of people to hear about Christ. In The Smiles of Rome one of the passages referred to Rome as being not only the center of the empire, but of the entire world. Of course this is not exactly true, but to many at the time it was. Therefore, it makes sense that the Church would eventually find solid ground there.

            The Catholic Church is also global; after all the word “catholic” means universal. Christianity did not begin in Rome, but rather in the Middle East, where the historical Jesus lived and taught. Jerusalem saw Christ crucified and also risen and from there the apostles and other disciples of Jesus dispersed to share this faith, which at the time was seen as the fulfillment of the Jewish faith and not a completely separate religion. When Christianity was finally legal in the Roman Empire it was able to spread more freely and people did not have to fear the possibility of death. The Church also gained wealth, property, and power. In The Italians by Barzini he attested to the power that the Church held. He wrote about the Church as being another state of Italy and said, “it was also an immense spiritual empire, holding sway in every Catholic country, distributing slices of the American continent as if it were its own property, drawing incalculable strength from the loyalty of Catholic princes and the faith of the Catholic multitudes”. After many years of gaining power and influence the Church was able to spread out to other parts of the world, not just Europe.

            Christ also left his apostles with a mission; to go to the entire world and preach about him, and that is what they and their followers did. Saint Peter travelled to Rome from the Middle East to reach the people there, and as a result of his efforts he was martyred on the site where Saint Peter's Basilica now stands. Later, Catholic missionaries made efforts to convert native people in the Americas once the New World was located by Europeans and settled. So the Church did not just stay in Rome, but rather spread to far away places.

            The Church is also global in that the doctrines, the beliefs, and the mass are all the same, no matter where one goes. The mass, although now done in different languages, still follows the same pattern as it would in the United States, Italy, or South America. It is still possible to understand what is going on in any mass, even the readings are the same. This global church can be a refuge for a traveller, a place that is familiar among sites that are alien. In this way one is not too far from home.

What is the Point of Leisure?

           The online dictionary form Merriam-Webster defines leisure as “freedom provided by the cessation of activities: time free from work or duties”. The point of leisure cannot be singularly defined; it is relative to each person and even to different cultures. It can be a time that one reserves for themselves, just to relax, be alone, and do what one pleases without having to worry about anything or anyone else. Or this free time can be used to be with family and friends, to take a trip, read, or just about anything as long as it is the choice of the person. It seems that that is the whole point of leisure; to be able to choose what one wants to do and who to spend the time with. And this time away from work and other tasks is very important in the lives of individuals and in their cultures. Both the United States and Italy enjoy leisure time.

The concept of leisure in the United States is somewhat odd. Free time from work is something that people desire, however having too much free time is often looked at as being lazy or not ambitious enough. In our society, one is taught that one must work, and work long and hard to get ahead. And this is true to some extent. However when work and the pursuit of money gets in the way of important things such as family and leisure, it can do harm. Gaudium et Spes stresses the importance of cultivating a person’s mind not only through formal education but also through cultural experience. The text states, “A man is more precious for what he is than for what he has”. In our culture of constant work and little leisure time this can sometimes be difficult for people to do. Relating to this the document also says, “It happens too often, however, even in our days, that workers are reduced to the level of being slaves to their own work. This is by no means justified by the so-called economic laws.” Our cultures leisure time also seems (not for all but for some) to revolve around individual and inside activities such as watching TV or playing video games. In limited quantities these are fine, but they seem to differ from the normal Italian concept of leisure.

From observing people in Rome and other Italian cities it appears as though the Italian concept of leisure differs slightly from our own. First, the work life is not as prolonged as in the U.S., there is time for Italians to do other things besides constantly work. It has also been noticed that free time sometimes means sitting down to a cappuccino with a friend or family member and talking. Of course we also do that in the U.S., however here it seems part of the everyday routine. Chapter ten in Barzini’s book The Italians is titled the “Pursuit of Life”. Even though often time’s leisure will not let one acquire more money, it gives the opportunities to gain more important things and to pursue not just an existence, but a life.