I
see this circle as Planet Earth. Let’s focus for a bit on Earth.
Earth is about 6 billion years old. C’mon, it’s not that old… 6 billion.
As we all know every beginning comes with an end so who knows how much it will be able to survive.
We, humans, on the other hand, are a bit younger. We came on Earth about 150 million years ago.
It seems like yesterday, but we still have a long way to go and there are plenty of things to invent.
There are 7.3 billion people living on Earth right now.This is incredible!
There are
no records of this many human beings populating the Earth in the past. In 1969 the world population was only 2 billion.
7.3 billion nowadays… 43% yellow, 20% white, 20% brown, and 15% black. We are divided in 194 states, speaking 114 languages, completely different from one another, plus thousands other indigenous languages.
Believing in 14 different religions that don’t share many similarities and often turn out to be conflictual in their beliefs.
Out of 194 states, 42 are facing war. Facing war! 42 states out of 194.
Almost 2 billion people living on earth are facing war.
If it was to be year 1969, the entire world would be living in a war zone.
80% of the world population is now living in poor conditions and 55% of them are illiterates, but what’s really touching is the 80/20 number that applies even here: 20% of the world population owns 80% of the GDP.
The one thing that we should consider when hearing this fact is that things have already changed for the better.
160 years ago, when consumer society was born, only 1% of the world population owned 99% of the GDP. Things already changed a lot! The big difference between now and then is that today, that 80% of the population gets to see how the other 20% live.This is the big difference.
That being said the first thing that should cross our mind when we hear these numbers is: as none of us can decide when and where to be born or the beauty of human imperfection, what a luck to be borne as part of that 20%! And with such
an undeserved luck, meaning we didn’t have a choice to begin with, we feel the need to seek forgiveness for it. Some choose charity, as I know many of you do, but the best way to do it is giving it all in the work field, getting yourself busy, with the one goal of creating new jobs. And also trying to make some changes.
Right in the middle of the Earth we can find a small country that occupies 0.5% of the land surface.
Called Italy.
Here lives the 0.83% of the world population.
Think about this: First remember the 0.5% and 0.83%!
This is the only peninsula in the world spreading north to south on a perfect latitude, whilst being completely surrounded by a good sea.
This is the only place in the world with this kind of geographical distribution.
Why is it so special?
It so happens that here, the good sea drafts meet the good, fresh mountain breeze. A unique situation in the entire world.
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.The answer lays in the winds.
Thanks to this unique situation…
… this is the place where wonders happen.
It so happens that here, in this small city called Pra, near Genova Italians grow the best basil in the world.
Because the Genovese sons… Ligurians, Ah ( to audience) there they are!
Ok, nevermind!
Where you can find the Friulians, you’ll find The San Daniele, son of the Italian wind “Bora” and the Dolomites.Anyone from Friuli? Oh, there you are!
The Parma, son of the Apuan Alps and Mediterranean winds.
And it so happens that the best pasta is known to be made near the Gragnano region… Where is Napoli?... As here we can find the Roma street, also known as
The Wind Gallery, where the fresh breeze of Castellamare di Stabia meets Vesuvius’ breeze, creating a unique microclimate.
Neapolitans used to dry their pasta here and they noticed that it used to be better than the one made in any other region of Italy.
It so happens that in the Abruzzo region can be found the best Saffron in the world, that in the Calabria region licorice is daughter of the Ionic Sea and Apuan Alps. The Myrtle in Sardenia region.The Pachino( sic.tomato) in Sicily.
And I could go on forever.
Sicilians!
It so happens that… I will tell you 3 or 4 numbers. Please, listen to them, memorize them, and make them a part of your country-pride!...
that here, in this 0.5% of the world’s land surface, there are 7000 edible vegetal species.
The second place is taken by Brazil with 3300.
No matter what region of Italy we are considering, it has more vegetal species than any other country in Europe.
It so happens that here, on the surface of this little country that spreads on 0.5% of the world’s surface, live 58000 animal species,42000 on air and land, 10500 found on salt waters, and 5500 found on freshwaters. The second place is taken by the country that spreads on 6% of the Earth surface, with 20000 species.
I will not go on with this as the Chinese might get angry, but this is unbelievable!
It so happens that in Italy there are 1200 local vineyards, second place being taken by France with 222.
It so happens that in Italy grow 533 olive species, the second place being taken by Spain with 70.
In Italy you can find 140 wheat crops varieties, second place being taken by The USA with 6.
This beauty is called biodiversity.
We are the country with the biggest biodiversity in the world.
We are talking about the same biodiversity that we can find in agribusiness, from which the wine and food industry developed, this being the main reason of why I am doing this today.
Biodiversity is also the starting point for human biodiversity.
Italy is home for the biggest number of ethnic groups in the world.
And all anthropologists will agree with me on this.
Italy has a wonderful history that dates back to 40,000 years ago.
Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens, both beginning their journey in Africa, but choosing to go on different paths, only met here, in Italy.And at this point it seems like they even enjoyed the company.
It was this the starting point of the human biodiversity in Italy.
This is the reason why, thousands of years later, Italy was home for the biggest empire in the world, both social and political leader at that time.
And this is also the reason why 1500 years later, Renaissance begun here, in Italy.
It is also the reason why today Italy owns 70% of the physical heritage of the world.
70% of the physical heritage of the world can be found on 0.5% of the land surface of the world.
Can you believe it?
This biodiversity then developed the landscapes.
We have the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
And this thanks to the landscapes designers: the Italian farmers.
The farmers, sons of the wind.
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.
So, that being said, after getting forgiveness for the luck of being borned in that 20% that owns 80% of the Italian wealth, we also need to seek forgiveness for the luck of being born here, in Italy.
Don’t you forget it!
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