The first few pages of a book are usually the most crucial to give us an idea of what its reading will be like. There are books that you read slowly, others that sit on the bedside table for a long time waiting to be read, and still others that you never want to finish. “Kalipé. The spirit of the mountains ” for many could perfectly fit into the latter category.
An autobiographical book that highlights the characteristics of today’s society, dominated by the frenzy of appearing and where everything must always go fast, elements that distance man from those values and conditions that should instead be of primary interest and which are the reason why in an age where we have everything, people find themselves increasingly dissatisfied. This is today’s society that Massimiliano Ossini , well-known Rai TV presenter and author of the book, lays bare in his book “Kalipè. The spirit of the mountain “.
An easy-to-read book, consisting of only 99 pages, a hymn to the search for serenity and happiness . On the one hand, it shows the frenetic and insatiable flow of contemporary reality, a profession, his, completely in the spotlight; while on the other side, we find the peace and serenity of the mountain, the effort of the paths that lead up to the top, the magic of its views. Between these two realities, there is then a little boy, who, in love with the fields and nature, then turns into a man dragged into a life that is completely alien to him and constantly looking for a meaning.
Massimiliano Ossini, already known for his Rai broadcasts as “Linea Bianca” , has long been guiding the public to discover more or less known winter mountain environments.
Massimiliano talks about himself in this writing, from his youth to his affirmation as a public figure in Rai, moving on to that hectic life in the city of Milan and from there to his quieter life in the Marche. Among all these stories there is then the story of the Adamello climb , its celebration and its metaphor as a spiritual and introspective path.
The author in this book, through his experiences between television studios and mountains, retraces the crucial passages of his life, the values of friendship and love, the happiness of fatherhood, a successful career, and in particular shows that continuous and intimate dialogue with himself, characterized by small gestures and continuous choices. The only peace he meets, he finds it every time he leaves the city to start his climb up the mountain, and while he tells his path, the reader feels as if the author was accompanying him by the hand to those places. , managing to share those moments, to breathe that paradisiacal panorama of nature, to find that silence of reflection among the trees and rocks, that same silence that was for the author his main companion in adventures, a path that beyond physical is above all spiritual, which teaches to love oneself and to read oneself inside. In everyday life, we often feel in a perennial condition of discomfort and strong stress, and this is due to that frenzy, to that constant having to keep up with the times, always updated, always connected. It is precisely the concept that is conveyed in the book when the author writes
“ Above all, after a long time, it is not easy to regain possession of silence, we also get used to what is most human and natural. To do this you need to become simple, like stone, ice, blue water “
and again
“ We are always everywhere, anxious about the future, regretting the past, or worse still in a virtual space crowded with friends we don’t even know […] “.
Our mind is constantly active and those moments that everyone can allow themselves, in their solitude, away from everything and everyone, are rare, the return to all that nature can give. What Ossini wants to share is the awareness that sometimes it is necessary to empty oneself of the superfluous to fill oneself only with the essential , to always get involved to remain witnesses of the beauty that surrounds us both outside and inside. Through this writing, the author gives testimony of his own experience, inviting us to give the right importance to nature, to admire it and above all to respect it.
The book is very fluent and easy to read, with simple language a profound thought is transmitted that invites the reader to reflect, a sincere story of a person who despite being touched by success has always managed to remain himself, a rich person of humility that is able to transmit to us his great love for nature, reminding us what is really important. It is a book suitable for everyone and I recommend reading this beautiful book to all those who love the mountains and the real and simple life.
