Roberto Grippi FOREWORD Today’s article was partly inspired by the wars unfolding around the world. In particular, Steven Erlanger’s article “In Iran, Trump Risks Another American ‘Forever War’”, published in The New York Times on 16 July 2026, made me reflect on an aspect of war that is often given far less attention than the decision to … Read more
“If I wanted to talk to idiots, I’d talk to my own people.I wouldn’t waste my time talking to you.”(Palmiro Cangini, Councillor of Roncofritto — a fictional character played by Paolo Cevoli in the Italian comedy show “Zelig”) The joke is funny.In fact, it is hilarious.Because none of us imagines that we are the target.The … Read more
Behind Every Museum, a School We have been taught that youth is a stage of life.I am no longer quite so sure. There comes an age when the wrong compliments begin.‘You do not look your age.’As though the aim were to win a contest against the mirror. In truth, I have no interest whatsoever in … Read more
INTRODUCTORY NOTE I am living through one of the most significant moments in the history of the company of which I am CEO. In my case, however, “CEO” does not stand for Chief Executive Officer, but for Chief Evangelist Officer: the person whose role is to imagine the future and shape the company’s long-term vision. … Read more
Over the past few days, I have been working exceptionally hard. My company is about to conclude an important contract, and I have taken on the responsibility of drafting the agreement to be reviewed by solicitors, accountants, and the notary before its formal execution. This task has required a great deal of effort, and the … Read more
I have always cultivated hobbies. At different stages of my life, I have read compulsively, played video games, written software, assembled computers, studied languages, explored obscure subjects, and devoted countless hours to activities that many people would have considered pointless. I have never been under the illusion that everyone would understand these passions. In fact, … Read more
Last night I had dinner with a colleague. I would like to call him a friend. All the signs of intellectual and human affinity are there, but geographical distance has so far prevented us from getting to know each other more deeply. At last, we managed to arrange a dinner together. A very Italian ritual, … Read more
NEW ELEMENT ADDED TO THE PERIODIC TABLE: ADMINISTRATIUM Investigators at a major research institution have recently discovered the heaviest element ever known to science.This astonishing new discovery has been provisionally named Administratium (Ad). This new element possesses neither protons nor electrons and therefore has an atomic weight of zero.It does, however, contain 1 neutron, 125 … Read more
INTRODUCTORY NOTE This article concerns the sense of belonging, and that sense of belonging applies to every form of social organisation. In this context, discipline is simply the set of shared rules recognised by a given social group.Taken to its extreme, even the absence of discipline, when consciously shared, becomes itself a form of discipline.Indeed, … Read more
Most leaders, whether political or corporate, are “turtles on a post”. When, along a country road, you see a turtle balanced on top of a fence post, one thing is immediately clear: it did not get there by itself. Someone put it there. And it is equally evident that this is not its dimension.It is … Read more
“Throw me to the wolves, and I will return leading the pack.” (This line is widely misattributed to Seneca.Its origin is modern, but its message on resilience and leadership remains sound.) “Thrown to the wolves” is the moment when status collapses and reality speaks.Titles vanish. Favour fades.What remains is character, skill, and the ability to … Read more
At first glance, it seems like a paradox. In reality, it is a statement of method.Becoming an adult is inevitable.Becoming young, however, is a choice. Biological youth is a phase.Mental youth is a discipline. Over time, we accumulate experience, structure, responsibility.All of this is necessary and useful. But it carries a silent risk, rigidity: And … Read more
When people tell you that in adulthood problems come one after another, do not believe them … they all arrive at once. And they show up without formal notice: fiscal, operational, family, health, relational.Each with “non-deferrable” urgency.Each convinced it has absolute strategic priority. The real surprise of adulthood is not complexity. It is simultaneity. When … Read more
“Horror vacui“, Latin for “fear of empty space”, began as an aesthetic category.But, as often happens, it did not remain confined within frames for long. At first it is art. Then it becomes behaviour.Originally, it describes an almost compulsive urge to fill every available space: no margins, no pauses, no visual silence. From Baroque art … Read more
“Conversational implicature” is one of those invisible mechanisms that hold human communication together.It is not what we say, but what we allow the other person to understand without saying it. Consider the dialogue: “A. Where is Charles?”“B. There is a yellow Volkswagen outside Anne’s house.” It does not work on a logical level, yet it … Read more
In Italian, the phrase “O sei ricco o sei rocco” works because of the assonance between “ricco” and “rocco”. The two words differ by a single vowel, yet they evoke entirely different forms of power. The sound similarity makes the contrast sharper, almost playful, while the meaning underneath is anything but light. “Rich” (ricco) is … Read more
What is perceived as chaos on a desk is often not disorder. It is a system. Not a linear system. Not an aesthetic system. But a functional one. To the outside observer, that surface cluttered with open books, overlapping notes, hastily written post-its, and objects apparently out of place seems to deny the very idea of … Read more
This is a sentence that, when delivered in a firm tone, appears to draw a clear boundary: I have done my part; the rest does not concern me. Yet in human relationships — personal, professional, institutional — this statement functions like an uncovered cheque. Every word spoken enters a complex ecosystem: shared history, expectations, fears, … Read more
“Hurry up and wait” is one of those expressions that compresses an entire institutional culture into four words. It was widely used in the Royal Navy and later in the United States Navy to describe a familiar rhythm of military life: urgent mobilisation followed by long, immobile anticipation. Orders arrive. Everything must be done immediately. … Read more
In recent times, across social networks and chats, a curious pseudo-Latin abbreviation has appeared: “etm”, used in contexts where one would normally find “etc.”. According to some, it stands for “et merda”, that is, “and shit”, placed at the end of a list to give the same flavour as the more straightforward English “and shit”, … Read more