| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Alcibiades II by Platonic Imitator: SOCRATES: You see, then, that there is a risk in your approaching the God
in prayer, lest haply he should refuse your sacrifice when he hears the
blasphemy which you utter, and make you partake of other evils as well.
The wisest plan, therefore, seems to me that you should keep silence; for
your 'highmindedness'--to use the mildest term which men apply to folly--
will most likely prevent you from using the prayer of the Lacedaemonians.
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
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from On Revenues by Xenophon: house where the anti-peace party is seated.
[4] After Zurborg, I omit {oukh oi eduoinoi}.
[5] Reading {kai ap arguriou}, with Zurborg.
[6] Lit. "Sophists." See Grote, "H. G." viii. lxvii. note, p. 497.
[7] E.g. chorus-trainers, musicians, grammarians, rhapsodists, and
actors.
[8] Or, "sacred and profane."
But if there is no desire to gainsay these views--only that certain
people, in their wish to recover that headship[9] which was once the
pride of our city, are persuaded that the accomplishment of their
hopes is to be found, not in peace but in war, I beg them to reflect
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from 1984 by George Orwell: become completely spiritless. It was evident even to Winston that she was
waiting for something that she knew must happen. She did everything that
was needed--cooked, washed, mended, made the bed, swept the floor, dusted
the mantelpiece--always very slowly and with a curious lack of superfluous
motion, like an artist's lay-figure moving of its own accord. Her large
shapely body seemed to relapse naturally into stillness. For hours at a
time she would sit almost immobile on the bed, nursing his young sister,
a tiny, ailing, very silent child of two or three, with a face made simian
by thinness. Very occasionally she would take Winston in her arms and
press him against her for a long time without saying anything. He was
aware, in spite of his youthfulness and selfishness, that this was somehow
1984 |
