The strength of the fragile

Weak and strong, at the roots of the meaning of life

The truths that matter are simpler than you might think. They communicate by themselves, they stay in the lead, they keep keeping you company. Like those boxes scattered in the center of a big city. Not at all flashy, at first sight ordinary moving boxes. The particularity in two details: the labels attached above and on the sides with the word dreams and a packing tape with the writing fragile. It is not known who designed them and placed them on street corners. Surely someone who has understood the essence of simplicity and perhaps even a glimpse of the meaning of life.

What's more beautiful than dreams? Not the ones that make you flee from reality, that thin out when you wake up or that console. Rather, those who move mountains, who have new roads and facts designed, who don't know the impossible. Dreams like this can truly change the course of history. Precious, founding, luminous dreams. Precisely for this reason they are fragile.

Is that a problem? Far from it because fragility in this case is nothing more than the yardstick to understand what is really important. The more things matter, the more delicate they are. It's not about whether it's right or wrong. It's simply a fact.

A child who hugs you without asking for anything in return is fragile, who learns the love he will be capable of from your example.

The love that bursts inside you for a person, an affection, for friends is fragile. You can't take it for granted because feelings aren't made of granite. No certainty, but only your humble will to defend them.

The heritage of your ideals is fragile, those that have sprouted in your young heart, that have gone through disappointments and storms. They do not live on their own life, but on your constancy.

The good you can feed is fragile, the one that can really make a difference. It's never automatic, usually not even that seductive unlike evil. It doesn't happen by itself, but you have the power to choose it.

Serenity is fragile, the lightness of moments of joy. A breath of wind is enough to crack it, to send you into confusion, to darken your gaze. But that's exactly where you can celebrate its memory so you don't give up and look beyond.

Your knowledge is fragile and asks to be continuously fed and supported. Easier to set it aside, not consider it, take it for granted. But only you can keep it lit.

The passion for a talent or a profession is fragile. These are dimensions that cannot always express themselves at the highest levels and that often come to terms with routine. The temptation to give up is sometimes strong, but no one will be able to say the last word for you.

The coherence that rarely meets with full gratification, the feeling of not needing anything else, is fragile. Easy to question. But the determination to raise a levee only comes from you.

Loyalty to awareness gained in the past is fragile. Time seems unable to put a stop. It's as if he keeps messing up thoughts and situations. But who's stopping you from being the one to deal the cards?

Faith is fragile, capable of moving mountains, but also of remaining suspended when you struggle. A light that can be fire or starlight. The important thing is that you keep your eyes open to see it without getting tired.

But nothing is more fragile than life itself, its often illogical zigzagging, its sometimes extinguishing in pain that remains a mystery. Very fragile, strong and splendid life for this very reason. Folly? No, it couldn't be otherwise. Why? Simple.

Only fragility is a condition for taking care of it, for seeing it as a treasure, for making it a hymn, by giving it away

Matteo Spicuglia

NP Aprile 2023