We get used to living in courtyard apartments with no other views than the surrounding windows. And because we have no views, we don’t look outside. And because we don´t look outside, we don’t open the curtains. And because we don’t open the curtains, we switch on the lights earlier. And we forget about the sun, the air, and the immensity of space.
We get used to waking up with a startle because it is time to get up. To having breakfast in a hurry because we are late. To reading the paper in the bus because there is no time to waste. To eating sandwiches because we have no time for lunch. To leaving the office only when it is dark. To slumbering in the subway because we are tired. To going to bed early without having enjoyed the day.
We get used to opening the paper and reading about the war. And to accepting the war, as well as the dead and the death tolls. And because we accept the death tolls, we believe no peace talks are possible. And because we believe no peace talks are possible, we accept to read about the war, its numbers and its duration.
We get used to spending the day waiting for someone to call. To smiling to people without getting a smile back. To being ignored when we long to be seen. To paying for everything that we need. To struggling to earn the money for it. To earning less than we need. To queuing in order to pay. To paying more for things than they are worth. To knowing that they will cost each time more. And to looking for more work to earn more money to be able to pay for things.
We get used to seeing billboards while walking on the street. To opening magazines and seeing advertisements. To switching on the TV and watching commercials. To going to the cinema and swallowing publicity. To being instigated, driven, and bewildered by an endless pile of superfluous products.
We get used to pollution. To closed rooms full of air conditioning and no proper ventilation. To blinking artificial lights. To the shock of natural light. To bacteria in drinkable water. To the contamination of the sea. To the slow death of rivers. To no dawning birds, no crowing cocks, no fruit picking, and no plant gathering.
We get used to too many things to avoid suffering. Little by little, we push away a small pain here, a pang of resentment there, a surge of anger further down. If the cinema is full, we sit in the front row and twist the neck a bit. If the beach is polluted, we just wet the feet and let the body sweat. If work is hard, we think of the weekend. If the weekend is pointless, we think of the sleep we have to catch up with.
We get used to all this so as not to get hurt, so as to save the skin. To avoid wounds, to spare the body. We get used to all this in order to spare our life. That, little by little, is being wasted by so much getting used to.
Mariana Colasanti