Mauro Morandi had to leave his solitary island life. Having been cooped up with others for months, it could be appealing
It was poignant to read of 81-year-old Mauro Morandi’s decision to leave Budelli, the island off Sardinia that had been his home for more than 30 years, following threats of eviction. He had been nicknamed “Italy’s Robinson Crusoe”, having ended up there simply by chance, after his catamaran broke down while attempting to sail to the South Pacific. The island’s caretaker happened to be retiring, and Morandi loved the place so much that he decided to stay and assume the role; until now.
There’s something so sad about hearing of a person torn from their idyll, when they have sought out and built for themselves a life of solitude. Though we may not all be natural hermits, I think many of us understand that, for some people, constant social interaction can be draining and even painful, a source of anxiety rather than pleasure. Books such as Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, and a better understanding of neurodiversity, have led to a greater empathy over the past decade with those who need more of their own company, and feel stressed by constant socialising or overstimulating environments such as open-plan offices.
