| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Tao Teh King by Lao-tze: faith (in him) ensues (on the part of the others).
24. He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches
his legs does not walk (easily). (So), he who displays himself does
not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who
vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged; he who is self-
conceited has no superiority allowed to him. Such conditions, viewed
from the standpoint of the Tao, are like remnants of food, or a tumour
on the body, which all dislike. Hence those who pursue (the course)
of the Tao do not adopt and allow them.
25. 1. There was something undefined and complete, coming into
existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless,
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from One Basket by Edna Ferber: He had been a quite different sort of canine. The staid and
harassed brother of three unwed and selfish sisters is an
underdog.
At twenty-seven Jo had been the dutiful, hard-working son (in the
wholesale harness business) of a widowed and gummidging mother,
who called him Joey. Now and then a double wrinkle would appear
between Jo's eyes--a wrinkle that had no business there at
twenty-seven. Then Jo's mother died, leaving him handicapped by
a deathbed promise, the three sisters, and a
three-story-and-basement house on Calumet Avenue. Jo's wrinkle
became a fixture.
One Basket |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: and to make a man of him.'
He laid a great stress on these latter words, and paused as if to
find out what effect they had produced. She only answered by her
tears.
'He is a likely lad,' said the blind man, thoughtfully, 'for many
purposes, and not ill-disposed to try his fortune in a little
change and bustle, if I may judge from what I heard of his talk
with you to-night.--Come. In a word, my friend has pressing
necessity for twenty pounds. You, who can give up an annuity, can
get that sum for him. It's a pity you should be troubled. You
seem very comfortable here, and it's worth that much to remain so.
Barnaby Rudge |
