I'm still searching for the original author of this piece. It's part of a advertising campaign for a bookstore in Portugal that ran a few years back. The tagline, "If one page makes you think, imagine a book."
"I know we get used to it. But we shouldn't.
We get used to living in back door apartments and not having another view but the windows around. And because there is no view, sooner or later we get used to not opening the curtains. And because we don't open the curtains sooner or later we get used to turning on the light earlier. And by getting used to, we forget the sun, forget the air, forget the magnitude.
We get used to waking up in the morning exasperated because its time. To rush into breakfast because we are late. To read the newspaper while on the bus because we can't spare any time. To eat a sandwich because we can't stop for lunch. To go home because it's already night. To fall asleep on the bus because we are tired. To go to bed early and sleep heavily without having lived the day.
We get used to waiting the whole day only to hear on the phone: today I can't make it.
To smile at people without being smiled back. To be ignored when all you needed was to be seen. We get used to paying for all we want and need. And to fight to earn the money in which to pay. And to pay more than things are worth. And to know that every time you will pay even more. And to look for more work, to make more money, to cash in at the lines that charge.
We get used to pollution, to closed air-conditioned rooms and to the smell of cigarettes. To the artificial quivering light. To the impact of the natural light on the eyes. To the bacteria in drinkable water. We get used to too many things in order not to suffer. Trying not to notice, in small doses we push away here and there the pain, the resentment and the anger. If the beach is polluted we dip our toes while the rest of our body sweats. If the movie theater is full, we sit in the first row and twist our neck a little. If there is a lot of hard work, we get relief from thinking about the weekend. And if during the weekend there isn't a lot to do, we go to bed early, satisfied as we can always catch up on our sleep.
We get used to it, so that we don't get scratched by harshness, to preserve ourselves. We get used to it to avoid wounds, bleedings, to spare the heart.
We get used to it to spare life. Then little by little we wear out and we wear out so much by getting used to it, that we loose ourselves."
