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‘Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.’

Anne Frank

Credit: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/anne_frank_752405?src=t_greatness

Introduction.

This article has unexpected rewards for the reader. Yes, I have delved into the deep layers of Luciano Pavarotti’s life so you can benefit from it. I have viewed the documentary by Ron Howard – Pavarotti (released in2019) – and made some notes so you can benefit from it.

Maybe as I see it, from a different angle, could surprise you. A short read –just what you want to know – is included in this article. Short lessons learned, and listed. It includes deep, rich layers of interpretation; unexpected connections, and polished nuggets of wisdom and understanding. They are all condensed and hidden along the way. Ready?

The black and white newspapers tabloids shocked readers around the world. How can one see the picture of the famous and loved Luciano Pavarotti with the words ‘divorces his wife’ next to his picture? I am sure you can remember. Yes – I know – this heading is so familiar when it gets to famous people. NEVERTHELESS, how could this event teach us anything?

Luciano Pavarotti – ‘oh not him!’ – the great Italian family man filing for divorce? It can’t be. The world reeled in disbelief in 1996.

Soon he married his secretary Nicoletta Mantovani – 34 years his junior – in 2004.

The film produced recently, and screened in 2019, gives an account of the life of the famous soprano’s life. For the about one hour and thirty minutes filmmaker, Ron Howard and historians stitched the life of Luciano together in one tremendous short story. Old patches on new fabric – warts and all. The scar – his divorce – stands out towards the end. A large patch. The love in his heart – and the consequent beam on his face when he talks about his family – covers that scar. We all have scars and patches.

You may reason, how can you use him as an icon of greatness? His divorce tarnished the very image of greatness. How will you ‘Photoshop’ this fact out of the bigger picture, you may ask? Isn’t iconic people, like Pavarotti, supposed to marry and live happily ever after?

Let me answer that question quickly before I list the short life lessons on greatness here. It is in his brokenness and in his imperfections that we can take courage and be inspired. Greatness is blemished. We can all identify with mistakes, with weaknesses, with vulnerability, and with failure. Right? However, that does not mean that we have to live defeated. Don’t live in the zone of pathologies. Stand up, shake it off, and make it right as far as you can. Move on. Use it as a lesson learned. That is the beauty of greatness – it is imperfect.

Lesson #1: Keep the family together – always try to reconcile – never give up.

Luciano tried to keep the family together. After the devastating divorce from his first wife, he did everything in his power to settle generously with his wife. Even towards the end, he tried everything to get the family together. Remarkable! Pavarotti says in the documentary ‘I love people; I love to be around people; I trust people unreservedly.’ Even if it is to his detriment. His smile and his embracing arms always had a place for another friend and loved one – he encapsulates the ultimate loving and embracing persona.

When one of his daughters fell ill, he cancelled performances to be with her. Family first.

In the next couple of paragraphs, I summarise the rest of the lessons. They had been inspired after viewing the awesome documentary in July 2019 and some research. Truly inspiring!

Image: The grave of Luciano Pavarotti. Note that Luciano is at the bottom on this tombstone. See the inscriptions and pictures of his late family above his name – Luciano is not at the top – his family is. Credit: Dr Norbert Heidenbluth – Modena (Suburbs): CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60712891

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