| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Phaedo by Plato: Yes, all men, he said--that is true; and what is more, gods, if I am not
mistaken, as well as men.
Seeing then that the immortal is indestructible, must not the soul, if she
is immortal, be also imperishable?
Most certainly.
Then when death attacks a man, the mortal portion of him may be supposed to
die, but the immortal retires at the approach of death and is preserved
safe and sound?
True.
Then, Cebes, beyond question, the soul is immortal and imperishable, and
our souls will truly exist in another world!
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Maitre Cornelius by Honore de Balzac: the pointed roof of the tower in which the staircase wound. It was a
little room, all of stone, cold and without ornament of any kind. The
tower stood in the middle of the facade on the courtyard, which, like
the courtyards of all provincial houses, was narrow and dark. At the
farther end, through an iron railing, could be seen a wretched garden
in which nothing grew but the mulberries which Cornelius had
introduced. The young nobleman took note of all this through the
loopholes on the spiral staircase, the moon casting, fortunately, a
brilliant light. A cot, a stool, a mismatched pitcher and basin formed
the entire furniture of the room. The light could enter only through
square openings, placed at intervals in the outside wall of the tower,
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Laches by Plato: SOCRATES: Then you would not admit that sort of endurance to be courage--
for it is not noble, but courage is noble?
LACHES: You are right.
SOCRATES: Then, according to you, only the wise endurance is courage?
LACHES: True.
SOCRATES: But as to the epithet 'wise,'--wise in what? In all things
small as well as great? For example, if a man shows the quality of
endurance in spending his money wisely, knowing that by spending he will
acquire more in the end, do you call him courageous?
LACHES: Assuredly not.
SOCRATES: Or, for example, if a man is a physician, and his son, or some
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