Un metro quadro alla volta | Simona Molinari | TEDxFoggia

Quick Overview

Simona Molinari, pop-jazz singer and songwriter, argues that self-care, which she defines as listening to our inner selves, body, and mind, is not a luxury but a necessary condition for survival and achieving humanity, emphasizing that this care must be actively chosen and nurtured over time.

Key Points: Molinari defines self-care as listening to the three parts of ourselves: mind, body, and soul/spirit, which requires training. She states that self-care is not an egoistic act but an act of love towards the world, as only centered individuals can contribute positively. She recounts a past period where she lived a seemingly perfect life (winning awards, performing at Sanremo) but felt confused because she was acting by inertia rather than self-awareness. The talk centers on the theme 'Un metro quadro alla volta' (One square meter at a time), suggesting making conscious choices about how we dedicate our time and energy. Molinari asserts that if we do not align our mind, body, and soul, we become 'manipulable' and risk losing our humanity. The singer emphasizes that caring for the inner self is essential training that prevents us from becoming like machines reacting only to impulse without sense or direction.

Context: Simona Molinari, identified as a pop-jazz singer and songwriter, delivers a TEDx talk titled 'Un metro quadro alla volta' (One square meter at a time) at TEDxFoggia, themed around 'The Age of Care.' She explores the concept of self-care, contrasting her past success with an underlying feeling of being lost due to external expectations, leading her to advocate for a conscious cultivation of inner balance.

Detailed Analysis

Simona Molinari opens her talk by questioning how one can take care of oneself without knowing who they are, listing roles like manager, lawyer, mother, partner, artist, or even just a woman. She reveals that she once lived a life that looked perfect on the outside—achieving success in her music career, winning awards, and performing at Sanremo—but internally she felt lost, unsure of who she was or what she desired, having operated purely on inertia and external definitions. She recounts feeling confused about which role was truly hers, fearing that if she did not consciously choose her path, someone else would choose it for her, potentially leading to her feeling unloved or unappreciated. Molinari strongly argues that self-care is not selfish; rather, it is an act of love toward the world, as only when an individual is centered and in equilibrium can they avoid becoming 'manipulable' or machine-like, reacting only to impulse without meaning. She stresses that taking care of the mind, body, and soul is vital training that must be actively chosen and nurtured 'one square meter at a time' to realize our true humanity.