| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: It was difficult to realize his work was not out there in the luminous
estuary, but behind him, within the brooding gloom.
Between us there was, as I have already said somewhere,
the bond of the sea. Besides holding our hearts together
through long periods of separation, it had the effect of making
us tolerant of each other's yarns--and even convictions.
The Lawyer--the best of old fellows--had, because of his many
years and many virtues, the only cushion on deck, and was lying
on the only rug. The Accountant had brought out already a box
of dominoes, and was toying architecturally with the bones.
Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against
Heart of Darkness |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Elixir of Life by Honore de Balzac: shadows.
It was on a beautiful summer evening that Don Juan felt the near
approach of death. The sky of Spain was serene and cloudless; the
air was full of the scent of orange-blossom; the stars shed
clear, pure gleams of light; nature without seemed to give the
dying man assurance of resurrection; a dutiful and obedient son
sat there watching him with loving and respectful eyes. Towards
eleven o'clock he desired to be left alone with this single-
hearted being.
"Felipe," said the father, in tones so soft and affectionate that
the young man trembled, and tears of gladness came to his eyes;
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin: founded, indeed, at last, an infallible religion. The greatest of
all the mysteries of life, and the most terrible, is the corruption
of even the sincerest religion, which is not daily founded on
rational, effective, humble, and helpful action. Helpful action,
observe! for there is just one law, which, obeyed, keeps all
religions pure--forgotten, makes them all false. Whenever in any
religious faith, dark or bright, we allow our minds to dwell upon
the points in which we differ from other people, we are wrong, and
in the devil's power. That is the essence of the Pharisee's
thanksgiving--"Lord, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are."
At every moment of our lives we should be trying to find out, not in
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