Something in common with Britney

Spears that is. I don't remember which glossy, but in it she said she was reading Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love", about a woman's
travels accross Italy, India and Indonesia. It's a fun book, especially since it's about 2 of my top 2 next travel destinations. But what's interesting is Liz' observation about the Italians: why it is that at the individual level Italians excel in many things, whereas at the communal level they've never been a great nation.

Liz quotes an explanation by an Italian, Luigi Barzini (in his book "The Italians", must get it, seems v. interesting). Briefly, Italians see the world as a bad place where no one is to be trusted. The only thing one can count on is one's ability to pleasure oneself, and so materialize creations in the arts: music, dance, poetry, food, etc.

I'm probably not getting the gist of the argument right, but it makes sense. Maybe I was Italian in my previous life. I mean, it's also something that I am resigned to at the moment, living in this shucked up place. So I travel, work on stuff that interests me, gives me pleasure. Listen to music and movies, read books, listen, think, ponder, eat. See how other people please themselves. Do no harm.

In the long run, however, such complacency could lead to something like, well, uhmm, Sicily?