To love. To be loved. by Arundhati Roy

To love. To be loved. To never forget 
your own insignificance. To never get used 
to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar 
disparity of life around you. To seek joy 
in the saddest places. To pursue beauty 
to its lair. To never simplify what is 
complicated or complicate what is simple. 
To respect strength, never power. Above all, 
to watch. To try and understand. To never 
look away. And never, never to forget.

~ from The Cost of Living (Modern Library, 1999)