I am not a captain, nor do I even own a boat, but many years ago I discovered sailing on an old schooner at the hands of a Canarian with straw-like hair and a nose eternally peeled by the Sun.
I remember happy days when you lost your watch and shoes, a strange calm of the soul in which everything seemed dwarfed by an immeasurable sea: it was a sweet renunciation of the everyday where other rules reigned and you were at the mercy of the elements. And even though the journey was sometimes uncomfortable either because of too much sun or because you had to wash yourself with salt water, since we did not have a water treatment plant and fresh water was a scarce commodity exclusively for consumption, it was always worth it. Being surrounded by the sea made you feel free.
I remember those sunsets between islands, how could I not remember them, lying on the bow with the aria of “O mio babbino caro” resonating and the emotion of the moment culminating in a furtive tear. I remember the young shapely bodies, the carefree laughter and the gaze of those who are no longer with us.
And sailing those long hours, with the dolphins sometimes accompanying us, playful, on both sides of the boat, you asked yourself the eternal questions. Back then, the pleasure of thinking for the sake of thinking and the curiosity to discover were not tarnished by the weight of the daily routine. Back then you weren't even aware of how happy those moments were.
I have always wondered about the human condition. The prevailing individualism and the loss of cooperation often make me hear the well-known phrase I learned in my old Latin classes: “Homo homini lupus.” Despite this and all those psychopaths who are fortunately a minority but who always end up making noise in their banal display of strength, I still believe in human beings.
And it is at sea that I have heard stories in which altruism, empathy and a sense of shared humanity continue to save many lives. But the protagonists remain anonymous heroes far from the spotlight. And that, in a world where the exhibitionism of everyday life on the networks has won out over the preservation of privacy, where virtual life is for many more life than real life, says a lot about them.