1 unexpected enlightenment in the eternal city Rome

#Dare to chisel some of your wall down to experience the purest kindness of mankind

This passage is dedicated to my friends — Lorenzo and Vanessa, who have shown me the brightest facets of Rome with paramount hospitality and delicacies, unconditionally.

Six Degrees of Separation Theory

We often find ourselves entangled in the enigmatic web of life, searching for purpose amidst the bewildering complexity of our existence.

Yet, God has His plan for all of us. Life is full of boxes of surprises, and we will never know who is going to unveil the amazement for us.

I have already forgotten when I came across this Japanese or American saying (i.e., the Six Degrees of Separation theory), but it still remains in my mind until now.

The concept refers to our relationships to people in life. It suggests that any person on the continents could be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances within six intermediaries. Put it simply, every people we met — are six or fewer social connections away from each other. EVERY PERSON.

I always respect this idea. Yet, some part of me thought it was fictitious and ungrounded at first, until I have experienced it through my trip to Rome together with my old friend (W), who had traversed over the ocean to Europe for 1x hours from the far side of the globe. Through the connection of W’s sister. We had met the lovely couple — Lorenzo and Vanessa

There are 4 intermediaries between us:

Myself → W → W’s sister (R) → R’s classmate (Vic) → Vic’s best friend → Lorenzo & Vanessa.

Up to this point, I still feel amazed at how vast and far-reaching our social radius can be.

Vatican City. Colosseum. Trastevere.

Vatican City is a landlocked independent city enclaved within Rome. We took a leisurely walk along Castel Sant’Angelo, crossed the road with a few steps, and arrived at the boundaries of this sacred city. Vatican City brims with the vibrant atmosphere of Catholicism, which is gently revealed by the boundless and majestic presence of St. Peter’s Basilica.

We decided not to enter as the endless queue was piling up outside. It was storching out there. However, we will definitely make a point to visit inside next time.

Another place we have reached was the Colosseum, which is located in the heart of Rome. This elliptical amphitheatre, built and moulded with travertine limestone, was triumphantly topped the list on the Seven Wonders of the World. Due to its incredible fame, the colosseum is 247 teeming with tourists from every corner of the globe.

Lorenzo and Vanessa suggested that we have a drink with some lovely friends after our feast in Trastevere. We were definitely up for it, hoping to experience the vibrant nightlife of this romantic city. Marraco, Marco, and Selina possessed beautiful temperaments that were kind and inspirational. Their innate sense of humor added spice to our conversation throughout the night. It is worth mentioning that Marco, who has been studying Kung-Fu for a decade, is also a master in the martial art.

One never tires of reveling and immersing oneself in the grandeur of these vestiges from ancient Rome;

There are so many kernels of wisdom to be gleaned from these architectural wonders — also from the friends we have met.

Believe in yourself in not enough — You have to trust others.

Let’s take a brief leap from Rome back to my younger days.

We were brought up in a society with ramifications. We were so stemmed from the deep-rooted culture, being encouraged to have strong beliefs in ourselves in order to cultivate an irresistible demeanor and confidence.

Multitudes of posts and quotes from media also advocate the significance of having unflinching beliefs in our mindset, letting us to stand out from the crowd.

But many people misunderstood or even distorted the idea of it. Our mind was fortified as not to trust others — to avoid embroiling ourselves into troubles:

Just believe in yourself ... believe in yourself ... believe in yourself …

But it does not work that way. Believing in yourself has nothing to do with not believing in others — Most of us have been mistaken.

I experienced the purest kindness of mankind during the trip, and I was grateful. Lorenzo and Vanessa dedicated tremendous effort, time, and resources to show us around the city and treat us to delicious feasts. They meticulously planned and orchestrated unique local experiences for us. Every detail was carefully thought out and executed with graciousness and zealousness by this lovely couple.

They did not have to do this, but they chose to treat us well, genuinely.

We wholeheartedly enjoyed every moment with them and are grateful for their hospitality that illuminated the bond and light up the periphery between us. Every moment of our trip was truly euphoric, and the memories will remain vivid within us.

The myth of the Trevi Fountain

You may notice that many tourists make wishes and throw coins into the Fountain. Tens of thousands of coins glitter beneath the water’s surface.

However, most tourists toss their coins casually without following the authentic and traditional way.

The proper way to flip the coins into the Trevi Fountain is to stand with your back facing the fountain, hold the coin in your right hand, and toss it over your left shoulder.

We followed the legendary practice to ensure our wish come true — to return to Rome one day and reunite with our friends.

Final thought

Personally I have learnt a lot from the trip, not merely about the history and classics of the city — but also willing to build trust to people.

Believing in ourselves is important, but it is also a gratified experience to chisel some of our wall down to let people in. Do not cloak yourself up. I have recognised and genuinely felt the pure kindness emanating from Lorenzo and Vanessa.

They are pure gold to me.

From this point on, our relationship has transformed from a four-degree separation to a long-lasting friendship, even though we live in different parts of the world with different trajectory ahead.

We will see each other again very soon — May our wishes at the Trevi Fountain come true.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my writing, please feel free to show your appreciation by giving it a lot of claps and leave some comments to me. Cheers!

By the way, you might want to have a look of my previous writings: