| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Apology by Plato: although some of you may think that I am joking, I declare that I will tell
you the entire truth. Men of Athens, this reputation of mine has come of a
certain sort of wisdom which I possess. If you ask me what kind of wisdom,
I reply, wisdom such as may perhaps be attained by man, for to that extent
I am inclined to believe that I am wise; whereas the persons of whom I was
speaking have a superhuman wisdom which I may fail to describe, because I
have it not myself; and he who says that I have, speaks falsely, and is
taking away my character. And here, O men of Athens, I must beg you not to
interrupt me, even if I seem to say something extravagant. For the word
which I will speak is not mine. I will refer you to a witness who is
worthy of credit; that witness shall be the God of Delphi--he will tell you
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: a lotus-flower--"Mind, none of us would feel exactly like this.
What saves us is efficiency--the devotion to efficiency.
But these chaps were not much account, really. They were no colonists;
their administration was merely a squeeze, and nothing more, I suspect.
They were conquerors, and for that you want only brute force--
nothing to boast of, when you have it, since your strength
is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.
They grabbed what they could get for the sake of what was to be got.
It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale,
and men going at it blind--as is very proper for those who tackle
a darkness. The conquest of the earth, which mostly means
Heart of Darkness |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Moon-Face and Other Stories by Jack London: softly and soothingly. Nor was this all-pervading caress a something that
cloyed with too great sweetness; nor was it sickly sentimental; nor was it
maudlin with love's madness. It was vigorous, compelling, masculine. For that
matter, it was largely unconscious on the man's part. He was only dimly aware
of it. It was a part of him, the breath of his soul as it were, involuntary
and unpremeditated.
But now, resolved and desperate, she steeled herself against him. He tried to
face her, but her gray eyes looked out to him, steadily, from under cool,
level brows, and he dropped his head upon her knee. Her hand strayed into his
hair softly, and her face melted into solicitude and tenderness. But when he
looked up again, her gray eyes were steady, her brows cool and level.
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