| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Blue Flower by Henry van Dyke: twisted tree-root and mouldering log, in cloaks and scarves and
wreaths of tiny evergreen, glossy leaves.
One of them is adorned with white pearls sprinkled lightly
over its robe of green. This is Snowberry, and if you eat of
it, you will grow wise in the wisdom of flowers. You will
know where to find the yellow violet, and the wake-robin, and
the pink lady-slipper, and the scarlet sage, and the fringed
gentian. You will understand how the buds trust themselves to
the spring in their unfolding, and how the blossoms trust
themselves to the winter in their withering, and how the busy
bands of Nature are ever weaving the beautiful garment of life
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy: of us to scold gentlefolk? Well, she was sent away. And then at
the forester's. She might have lived there; but no, she would
not."
"I want to know about the child. She was confined at your house,
was she not? Where's the child?"
"As to the child, I considered that well at the time. She was so
bad I never thought she would get up again. Well, so I christened
the baby quite properly, and we sent it to the Foundlings'. Why
should one let an innocent soul languish when the mother is
dying? Others do like this. they just leave the baby, don't feed
it, and it wastes away. But, thinks I, no; I'd rather take some
Resurrection |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus by Epictetus: as in you lies. If all were to follow your example, none would
dig a trench, none would cast a rampart around the camp, none
would keep watch, or expose himself to danger; but all turn out
useless for the service of war. . . . Thus it is here also. Every
life is a warfare, and that long and various. You must fulfil a
solider's duty, and obey each order at your commander's nod: aye,
if it be possible, divine what he would have done; for between
that Command and this, there is no comparison, either in might or
in excellence.
CXXVI
Have you again forgotten? Know you not that a good man does
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus |
