The gift of the mothers of America (April 2003)
Last week I went to see my family doctor. She’s not the usual national health doctor that writes a prescription and off you go! My doctor EXAMINES you and she LISTENS to you. She knows that her best instrument of diagnosis is what you have to tell her about your symptoms. She studies your exam results, explains the cause of your illnesses, and indicates the best cure, not only in terms of medication, but in terms of behavior and lifestyle. She remembers your entire medical history by heart, so when you go to see her for one problem, she never forgets to have a look at how the rest of you pathology is going. National health doctors in Italy don’t give appointments, so it’s first come, first served. When you go to my doctor, you know what time you get there, but you never have any idea at what time you’ll leave, because she’s as thorough with all her patients as she is with you.
In her waiting room, people are never angry or in impatient. I always bring several newspapers to read, a notebook to write in, and a portable radio to listen to the news. There’s always plenty of congenial conversation on every subject one might imagine. And as one might imagine, the main subject of conversation last week was the war in Iraq. It was my fate that afternoon to hear the usual trite repertoire and refrain: the exclusively economic motivations for the war, the gratuitous insults to my President, the wise cracks about the unfound chemical weapons. It was a good thing that the reason why I was there was because I had a sore throat. In fact, I was almost totally aphonic, having spent my poor voice trying to plant some seeds of doubt in the communist indoctrinated minds of my students in my 10 classes and during my 20 hours of weekly teaching. It’s a good thing because I was obliged to keep my mouth shut.
There was a mother who spoke of how disappointed her son was. He was supposed to go to the United States over the Easter holiday, but since she was afraid of eventual terrorist attacks against the US, she made him choose another destination. When I heard her say that, I was really sorry that I was voiceless. I would have liked to console her: “Don’t worry. The mothers of America love their sons every bit as much as Italian mothers love theirs, but they also know the value of liberty. They’ve sent their sons to fight for the liberty of your son as well, so that he can go on vacation without fear and wherever he chooses.”
Sandra Giovanna Giacomazzi writes for the Roman daily, L'Opinione della Libertà. She was awarded the Mario Soldati Prize for Journalism and Criticism for 2002. She also teaches Law and Economics at the Liceo Europeo Umberto I in Turin, Italy.
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