| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Soul of Man by Oscar Wilde: to Christ are the ideals of the man who abandons society entirely,
or of the man who resists society absolutely. But man is naturally
social. Even the Thebaid became peopled at last. And though the
cenobite realises his personality, it is often an impoverished
personality that he so realises. Upon the other hand, the terrible
truth that pain is a mode through which man may realise himself
exercises a wonderful fascination over the world. Shallow speakers
and shallow thinkers in pulpits and on platforms often talk about
the world's worship of pleasure, and whine against it. But it is
rarely in the world's history that its ideal has been one of joy
and beauty. The worship of pain has far more often dominated the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum: "Why should I die?" inquired Prince Marvel, curiously.
"Because you have seen me. Should I allow you to go away you would
tell the world about my ugly face. I do not like to kill you, believe
me; but you must pay the penalty of your rashness--you and the man
behind you."
Nerle smiled at this; but whether from pride at being called a man or in
pleasurable anticipation of the sufferings to come I leave you to guess.
"Will you allow me to object to being killed?" asked the prince.
"Certainly," answered the king, courteously. "I expect you to object.
It is natural. But it will do you no good."
Then Terribus turned to an attendant and commanded:
The Enchanted Island of Yew |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Call of the Wild by Jack London: backward, as though struck by a failing tree. Mercedes screamed.
Charles looked on wistfully, wiped his watery eyes, but did not
get up because of his stiffness.
John Thornton stood over Buck, struggling to control himself, too
convulsed with rage to speak.
"If you strike that dog again, I'll kill you," he at last managed
to say in a choking voice.
"It's my dog," Hal replied, wiping the blood from his mouth as he
came back. "Get out of my way, or I'll fix you. I'm going to
Dawson."
Thornton stood between him and Buck, and evinced no intention of
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