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Meet The Man Who Has Lived Alone On This Island For 28 Years
Meet The Man Who Has Lived Alone On This Island For 28 Years
By Gulnaz Khan
We think we are giants that can dominate the Earth, but were just
mosquitos, Morandi says.
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In the early nineties, Spiaggia Rosa was dubbed a place of high natural
value by the Italian government. The beach was closed off to protect its
fragile ecosystem, and only certain areas remain accesible to visitors. The
island rapidly went from hosting thousands of tourists per day to a single
heartbeat.
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The Spiaggia Rosa, or Pink Beach, derives its rosy color from microscopic fragments of corals and
shells like Miriapora truncata and Miniacina miniace.
Morandi waves to a passing boat from his porch. Although the beach was closed to tourists in the
nineties, visitors can access limited parts of the island.
Im sort of in prison here," Morandi says of his seclusion, "but its a prison that I chose for myself.
During the winter, Morandi likes to watch the monstrous sea swells that are created by strong winds.
Morandi says he never feels lonely because he is constantly surrounded by life.
Morandi gathers herbs behind his home. He has a companion who delivers groceries to the island
every two weeks.
Morandi is an avid reader, especially during the winter months.
Morandi spends many hours looking at the sea. He believes Budelli Island is the quintessence of
beauty.
I will never leave," Morandi says. "I hope to die here and be cremated and
have my ashes scattered in the wind. He believes all life is eventually
reunited with the Earththat we are all part of the same energy. The Stoics
of ancient Greece called this sympatheia, the feeling that the universe is an
indivisible, unified living organism endlessly in flux.
Morandi believes that teaching people how to see beauty will save the world
from exploitation more effectively than scientific minutiae. I would like
people to understand that we must try not to look at beauty, but feelbeauty
with our eyes closed, he says.
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Left:
Morandi collects juniper logs and shapes them into sculptures. He sells them to tourists and donates
the money to NGOs in countries from Africa to Tibet. Though he inhabits a small piece of land, he is
acutely aware of the world at large.
Right:
During all his years on the island, Morandi says he has never gotten sick, a quality he attributes to
"good genes."
Morandi passes the time with creative pursuits. He fashions juniper wood
into sculptures, finding faces hidden in their nebulous forms. He reads
zealously and meditates on the wisdom of Greek philosophers and literary
prodigies. He takes pictures of the island, marveling at how it changes from
hour to hour, season to season.
This is not unusual for people who spend extensive periods of time alone.
Scientists have long posited that solitude generates creativity, as evidenced
by scores of artists, poets, and philosophers throughout the ages who
produced their greatest works in seclusion from society.
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Morandi is silhoutted against the light of the dying sunhis favorite time of day when the world
seems to grow quiet. "We think were super-humans and divine creatures, but were really nothing in
my opinion," he says. "We must adapt to nature.
The benefits of solitude may not be universal. Solitude can be stressful for
members of technologically advanced societies who have been trained to
believe that aloneness is to be avoided, explains Pete Suedfeld in Loneliness:
A Sourcebook of Current Theory, Research and Therapy. However, there are still
cultures around the world in which solitary life remains a venerated
tradition. Buddhist monasticism, for example, encourages spiritual devotion
and scholarly pursuit above seeking bodily pleasures.
But amidst rapid globalization, humans' ability to experience true solitude is
perhaps a thing of the past. In response to increasing development of the
region, an internet company established a Wi-Fi connection on Budelli,
connecting Morandi and his beloved piece of paradise to the world
through social media. Embracing this new form of communication is his
concession on behalf of a larger purposeto facilitate a bond between people
and nature by exposing them to its beauty. A bond Morandi hopes will motivate
people to care for the withering planet.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/europe/italy/photos-of-life-alone-on-a-
paradise-island/