The Commitment of the Unwavering: A Philosophical Reflection on Italy's Resilience vs. Determination

The dedication of those who spare no effort in pursuing a goal, even against all odds, is a force that drives them to achieve their results with unyielding determination.

Every day, I hear discussions on TV about the "resilience" of Italians. It’s often spoken of as a virtue, with satisfaction, and even some politicians, mistakenly and proudly, extol it as a national strength. But let me tell you, with full awareness: resilience is not a virtue. It is, in fact, a lamentable term, a negative concept at its core.

In physics, resilience is defined as the ability of a material to absorb an impact without breaking. In psychology, it is the capacity of an individual to overcome traumatic events or periods of difficulty. What does this mean? It means that the Italian people have resigned themselves to enduring rather than aspiring. They’ve given up on striving for something greater. And what’s worse, there is now a growing class of detractors—Italians themselves—who, from their glowing keyboards, spew disheartening and destructive opinions about every government initiative, private effort, or institutional attempt to enact change.

The resilient people bow their heads, absorbing the constant blows of social inequities, crushing taxes, and poverty. Resilience allows them to bend without breaking, but this state is akin to being a punching bag: endlessly absorbing strikes without ever changing its role.

If we wish to effect change, we must instead embrace determination—in its most positive sense, it is the commitment of those who spare no effort to achieve a goal, even when all odds are against them. The real question is this: Is the so-called average Italian resilient, or are they determined?

Until the 1990s, Italians were the epitome of determination. Our small nation invented, innovated, and discovered. Despite contradictions and challenges, we aimed to be among the world's greats. Without oil or gas, we became the global school of industrial transformation. With limited landmass, we achieved supremacy in agriculture, boasting the planet's best biodiversity. But from the '90s onward, we began a relentless descent into resilience. Foolish and ignorant politicians turned this term into a banner. I vividly recall leaders like Prodi and Monti using this insidious word to instill pride, but in reality, it was an affront—a label that diminished the nation in the eyes of astute international observers.

And so, the famed "Italian resilience" was born, epitomizing the idea that Italians will endure anything without rebelling. Sadly, this is true. The people have become resilient. But as the physics definition reminds us: is there any material without a breaking point? Likely not.

This government, in its somewhat rudimentary way, seems to have realized this. While it continues to exploit the nation’s resilience, it nurtures the ambition of rekindling determination. Determinedly, the Prime Minister repeats that we are a nation, evoking nationalism as a proud determination to defend our traditions and beauty. Determinedly, this government seeks to stand among the world's leaders, and against all odds, this shift in adjectives may spark part of the miracle.

Yes, Italy benefits from an inept Europe, with Germany and France miscalculating two decades of policy. But we can take pride in the fact that someone now seeks to reclaim Italian determination. I, for one, am immensely proud of that.

Meanwhile, the keyboard warriors—the bowed and resigned who have resiliently recast themselves as anonymous haters—remain trapped in their misery. Their resilience sustains them through a modest home, small savings, and the inertia of a battered system. They take punches, and instead of changing things, they throw punches of their own in a senseless cycle among equally senseless peers. It’s tragic, really.

Yet, we must search for light at the end of the tunnel. I speak as someone determined and stubborn (the latter isn’t always a flattering adjective), but I see in relentless forward momentum a way to counter these Italian “walking dead.”

Changing our national identity from resilient to determined would be a monumental achievement. If this government can inspire even 10% of the resilient population to embrace determination, it would be a resounding success. A thousand resilient individuals may lose the race, but a single determined person can win it. I believe it was Carroll Shelby who, while tirelessly working to perfect his engines—now legendary mechanical masterpieces—once said this. He persevered, and he won.

Do Italians want to win?

Time will tell. But I truly believe we can, against all odds, if we embrace determination.