| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Reason Discourse by Rene Descartes: source of error, I gradually rooted out from my mind all the errors which
had hitherto crept into it. Not that in this I imitated the sceptics who
doubt only that they may doubt, and seek nothing beyond uncertainty
itself; for, on the contrary, my design was singly to find ground of
assurance, and cast aside the loose earth and sand, that I might reach
the rock or the clay. In this, as appears to me, I was successful enough;
for, since I endeavored to discover the falsehood or incertitude of the
propositions I examined, not by feeble conjectures, but by clear and
certain reasonings, I met with nothing so doubtful as not to yield some
conclusion of adequate certainty, although this were merely the inference,
that the matter in question contained nothing certain. And, just as in
Reason Discourse |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from King James Bible: the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard
your murmurings.
EXO 16:10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole
congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the
wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
EXO 16:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
EXO 16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak
unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye
shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your
God.
EXO 16:13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and
King James Bible |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Wrecker by Stevenson & Osbourne: thousand dollars on that mimic stock exchange. Nor could I
help reflecting on the singularity of such a test for a man's
capacity to be a painter. I ventured even to comment on this.
He sighed deeply. "You forget, my dear," said he, "I am a
judge of the one, and not of the other. You might have the
genius of Bierstadt himself, and I would be none the wiser."
"And then," I continued, "it's scarcely fair. The other boys are
helped by their people, who telegraph and give them pointers.
There's Jim Costello, who never budges without a word from
his father in New York. And then, don't you see, if anybody is
to win, somebody must lose?"
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