The common good

The story of the relaunch of a small town in the Varesotto area that relies entirely on a renewed relationship between man and nature.

The country has responded positively and many collaborations have been born between citizens, the many voluntary associations present in the area and the local administration

A few days ago I was curious to find the etymology of the word "politics" and I rediscovered those wonderful ideals that it contained in ancient Greece: the common good.

Some of you may know that for many years I have been living in a small town in the province of Varese, one of those places where life flows at a different pace from that imposed by big cities, and where personal relationships still have a central value in everyone's life. Woods, mountains, breathtaking views frame the numerous historic houses, occasionally soiled by slightly more colorful buildings with a 1960s and 1970s design. Over the years this little corner of paradise, which could have lived and let its citizens live by exalting even just the marvel that nature offers, has unfortunately lost most of its commercial establishments, its meeting proposals, its traditions, leaving nature, however often abused, as the only attraction for tourists.

Wrong policies, interests, incapacity... it doesn't matter what the real reasons for this decadence are because in these lines I would like to emphasize not so much what has been, but only what is happening again today. In fact, for some time it seems that things are changing.

The proactive and creative spirit of a group with no personal interests was enough to rekindle the general enthusiasm. The relaunch was set up with a project based mainly on man's relationship with nature, trying to create a close, almost indissoluble relationship between them, which allows both to coexist in mutual respect. The many initiatives already underway tell the road taken by themselves, just think of the notorious cigarettes abandoned on the ground, considered by the scientific community to be the most present and harmful pollutant in the world, which are now being recovered and recycled; or the collection of rubbish which in just a few months has seen a decrease in unsorted waste of over 30%, as well as the cleaning of the streets which has been entrusted to those who receive the basic income, simultaneously restoring beauty to the place and dignity to those who have finally a job. But that's not all, because the energy efficiency of public and private structures is expected, the opening of paths and inclusive parks, the creation of bike-stops for electric bikes, the development of eco-sustainable tourism, and many other green initiatives which will give lifeblood to a transformation now in progress.

In all of this, the country seems to have responded positively and many collaborations have arisen between citizens and the many voluntary associations present in the area, with the local administration. They tell of ladies who recover the old benches with wonderful crochet work, or groups of volunteers who spend their free time doing maintenance work, but also of young girls, guests of the center for eating disorders, who are committed to recovering their abandoned garbage. In addition to the classic historical, cultural, gastronomic and musical events, managed by volunteers and under the hat of a special councilorship: that of "kindness" (...officially established in December!).

It is evident that the goal is still far away and not easy to reach, but it is equally evident that only by starting to believe that man is an integral part of nature, and that these two elements cannot be separated, that the common good can be achieved . We, in our role as users, guardians, guarantors, and she, in what she has always had but which we often forget, as a mother. We depend on nature, we take refuge in it and thanks to it we live.

Max Laudadio

NP Agosto-Settembre 2022