If you are wondering how the story ended, I will save you time and energy: I never heard from Roberto, the customs officer. The truth is that I was so excited with my own discovery of Rome, my reconnecting with loved ones, that I only realized I had not heard from him once a friend who knew the story asked me. However, he was my first welcome greet in Italy. His mission? Make me feel happy to be in Italy, feel excited about opportunities and just about life. He was my instant lift-me up, coming from a deeply sad and unwilling departure from the US. He was my bucket of ice-cold water: hey, this is Italia! Wake up! Live! YOU are in Italy!
I was then thinking how the human mind and perception works… what if this would have happened in my home-country, Argentina? I’d probably be mad as hell: this guy was trying to pick ME up!
What if this would have happened in the US? The same thing, particularly because we all know how stiff Customs became in the last ten years. Probably I would have got even madder than anywhere else, because they know that probably they have the most power. Is there any other country in the world right now where any simple good, lawful citizen of a peaceful country, is treated as guilty until the opposite is demonstrated?
However, Europe is different, and Italy, well, we know how Italians are… it is in their blood, in their genes. So actually –in relative terms- this Customs officer was very tactful, kind and natural in the way he approached me. Most importantly: his mission in my life –even if brief- was accomplished!
3 comments:
Hi there! I just wanted to share something weird that happened to me when I read this post, and it's this. The first time I read 'Is there any other country in the world right now where any simple good, lawful citizen of a peaceful country, is treated as guilty until the opposite is demonstrated?' I thought you were actually talking about men! Let Freud analyze this! ;)
I thought about the times I judged them guilty before even giving them the opportunity to explain themselves. There also seems to be a direct relationship between this trend to think the worst and how much I like them, there more attractive they are, the easier it is for me to think badly of them... and consequently of me.
Hilarious, Flor!
Well, maybe then US Customs is just a variation of a human tendency to jump into conclusions, as much as a defect as this may be?
Or next time we catch ourselves making judgement based on insufficient facts/info, we can bring up this image of the US Customs officer, and i'm sure that any judgement will be cut short! :)
That's definitely a good idea! I think it'll work really well :) I'll keep it in mind whenever I feel the temptation to do it again
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