| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Alcibiades II by Platonic Imitator: You had better wait until we find out how we should behave towards the Gods
and towards men.
ALCIBIADES: And how long must I wait, Socrates, and who will be my
teacher? I should be very glad to see the man.
SOCRATES: It is he who takes an especial interest in you. But first of
all, I think, the darkness must be taken away in which your soul is now
enveloped, just as Athene in Homer removes the mist from the eyes of
Diomede that
'He may distinguish between God and mortal man.'
Afterwards the means may be given to you whereby you may distinguish
between good and evil. At present, I fear, this is beyond your power.
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates by Howard Pyle: It is not more than twenty miles in length by perhaps seven or
eight in breadth; it is only a little spot of land, and as you
look at it upon the map a pin's head would almost cover it; yet
from that spot, as from a center of inflammation, a burning fire
of human wickedness and ruthlessness and lust overran the world,
and spread terror and death throughout the Spanish West Indies,
from St. Augustine to the island of Trinidad, and from Panama to
the coasts of Peru.
About the middle of the seventeenth century certain French
adventurers set out from the fortified island of St. Christopher
in longboats and hoys, directing their course to the westward,
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin: will have to learn, like every other South American state,
that a republic cannot succeed till it contains a certain body
of men imbued with the principles of justice and honour.
October 20th. -- Being arrived at the mouth of the Parana,
and as I was very anxious to reach Buenos Ayres, I went
on shore at Las Conchas, with the intention of riding there.
Upon landing, I found to my great surprise that I was to
a certain degree a prisoner. A violent revolution having
broken out, all the ports were laid under an embargo. I
could not return to my vessel, and as for going by land to
the city, it was out of the question. After a long conversation
The Voyage of the Beagle |
