And we went out to see the light again

How art, culture and music can cancel the darkness

God said and the light was. So who is the smart guy who said Enel and the bill was? By golly, the sun is there for everyone, but I wouldn't say light, and not only in a physical sense, but above all metaphorical and symbolic. We are living in dark times, in which - according to some studies accredited by the University Institute of Higher Studies of the University of Pavia - a reversal of the trend in IQ, the intelligence quotient, is taking place.

From 1938 until 1984, from generation to generation, children were more intelligent than their fathers (with approximately 13 points gained in the years indicated). But in the last 10 years this trend (called the Flynn effect after the psychologist who first observed it) has reversed. Children are starting to be less intelligent than their parents. I'm not saying this to put society, the school, the system on trial (we leave this to the sociologists), but some small reflections come spontaneously: these are truly dark times and I fear they will become even more so. So what do we do?

What did our ancestors do who didn't have electricity but were smarter than us (it seems)? They lit a fire, a candle, a bonfire and set up a tent, so they warmed up and illuminated (as much as possible) the black of the night. I think we should learn to do the same thing again. The fire warmed not only the environment, but also the hearts, the people. Fire is that passion that devours, that makes time escape, that warms the heart even when there is ice around, the cold of people, of loneliness, of wars, of suffering. The light of the fire guides the steps, but only one at a time, because it does not illuminate kilometers, but the couple of meters necessary to take two steps without stumbling, and after the steps it illuminates another two meters and so on. This is what you do in dark times. We keep the fire lit, also considering (if possible) the bill mentioned above and the phenomenon that created it.

The darker the times, the more we must strive in every way to spread goodness and love, including through art, culture and music which can excite and become an instrument of knowledge, respect, tolerance and peace. Darkness can only be defeated through light, and a heart flooded with light can guide the eyes and steps of an individual on the path of the common good.

For this reason, for the second year, we are supporting the Suspended Ticket campaign together with our friends at Lingotto Musica, because we strongly believe in the beneficial power of universal beauty, and we are happy that through this initiative it can be shared with a large number of people who do not have never (or rarely) been able to touch it with their hands. We would really like this proposal to become a custom for Turin, a city where solidarity has ancient and deep roots.

If the word has created it can do so again, and to talk about good you need to think about the good, look for it, practice it.

None of us are so poor that we cannot give something to someone, and the greatest happiness is making others happy. It can also be done through an emotion. It is light that defeats darkness, and not vice versa, and no man in the world can stop the sun from rising tomorrow.

Mauro Tabasso

NP Dicembre 2023