Italian proverbs- chi e' surdu orbu e taci...

Here's our proverb of the week- chi e' surdu orbu e taci campa cent'anni impaci (chi e' sordo, orbo e tace campa cent'anni in pace). He who is deaf, blind and mute lives in peace to be a hundred. The Southern Italian proverb expresses the quintessence of omerta', or organized crime's code of silence. As such I think it is contemptible; far from expressing any notion of loyalty or even prudence, it is a justification of cowardice.