to be alive demands an effort much bigger that the simple fact of breathing

ITALIANO:

http://laversioneitaliana.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/essere-vivi-richiede-uno-sforzo-di-gran-lunga-maggiore-del-semplice-fatto-di-respirare/

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Mr. Smith one night

shared a poem.

: the creation of magic…

I was shocked by the power of its words.

I was recognizing that almost everything we do

or interact with in this world

has the tendency to stop us from living.

Social and religious restrictions,

false data, the punishment we risk

for being ourselves and communicating.

But all this, I wish to remind you,

is just a prison made out of shadows…

Where the shadows are our agreements.

Agreements to lies; to not play with colors,

to not cry to beautiful music

and to not deserve the most happy springs.

I wanted to share this with you,

with my wish to bring you life.

it has done it to me!

…enjoy it!

… … …

_________________

Who Dies?

by Neruda

Dies slowly he who transforms himself into a slave of habit,
repeating every day the same routines,

: …

who does not change brands,
does not risk wearing a new color,

nor talking to those he doesn’t know.

Dies slowly he who makes television his guru.
Dies slowly he who avoids a passion,

: …

who prefers black to white
and the dots on the “i” to a whirlpool of emotions,
Dies slowly he who does not overthrow the table when unhappy at work,
who does not risk the certain for the uncertain

: …

to go toward the dream that is keeping him awake.

Who does not, at least once in life, flee from sound thinking.

Dies slowly he who does not travel, does not read,
does not listen to music, who does not find grace in himself.

Dies slowly he who destroys his self-love,
who does not accept help from another.

Dies slowly he who passes his days complaining of his bad luck or the incessant rain.

: …

Dies slowly he who abandons a project before starting it,
who does not ask about a subject he does not know
or who does not answer when being asked about something he does know.

Dies slowly he who does not share his emotions, joys and sadness,
who does not trust, who does not even try.