Visthar in the wasteland

We all went for a picnic to this place called Visthar. It was a beautiful place and my favorite part was the conference hall - straw rool and cool marble flooring. We sat on the floor, bright sunshine outside..serene was the word. And while we talked, we were given introductions to the place. And to read such poems in such an environment is calming. I copy -

For that which is boundless in you
Abides in the mansion of the sky;
Whose door is the morning mist,
And whose windows are the songs
And the silence of the night
Kahlil Gibran

We must sleep with open eyes
we must dream with our hands
we must dream the dreams of a river seeking its course,
of the sun dreaming its worlds...
We must dream backward, towards the source...
we must find the lost word dream inwardly and also outwardly
Octavio Paz

To love.
To be loved.
To never forget your own significance.
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.
Arundhati Roy