Roberto Vecchioni is an Italian singer-songwriter, lyricist, writer, poet, and teacher. His lyrics are true poetry.
He was a philosophy professor at a classical high school in Italy for 30 years; since teachers in Italy are generally paid less than other public employees, many pursue secondary interests to supplement their income.
He became a great singer-songwriter without giving up teaching.
This is a personal story about him:
One evening, I received a phone call from a dear friend. When he asked me how I was, I don’t know why, but I answered, “I feel very lonely.” “Do you want to talk?” he asked. “Do you want me to come to your house?” I said yes.
In less than 15 minutes, he was already knocking on my door.
So, I talked to him for many hours about everything—my work, my family, my doubts, and my problems—and he listened attentively the whole time.
His company did me good, especially his listening, and finally, morning came. “I have to go now; I need to get to work.” “I kept you up all night,” I apologized. He said, “It’s no problem, that’s what friends are for!”
I walked him out, and as he was heading to his car, I called out from a distance, “By the way, why did you call me so late last night?” He walked back towards me and said softly, “I went to the doctor. You know, I didn’t know how to tell you, but I have cancer.” I was stunned, but he smiled and said, “We’ll talk about it later; don’t worry about me. Take care.”
It took me some time to grasp the situation, and I asked myself repeatedly: why, when he asked me how I was, did I forget about him and only talk about myself? How did he have the strength to smile at me, to encourage me, to listen to me?
From that day on, I started to reflect: I try to be less dramatic about my problems and to dedicate more time to the people I care about.
I remembered something I once read and only at that moment did I understand it to be true:
He who does not live to serve… does not deserve to live.
Life is like a ladder; if you look up, you will always be at the bottom of the line, but if you look down, you will see that there are many people who would love to be in your place.
(Roberto Vecchioni, 81-year-old Italian singer-songwriter and philosophy professor)