| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Tao Teh King by Lao-tze: liberal; shrinking from taking precedence of others, I can become a
vessel of the highest honour. Now-a-days they give up gentleness and
are all for being bold; economy, and are all for being liberal; the
hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost;--(of all which the end
is) death.
4. Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and firmly to
maintain its ground. Heaven will save its possessor, by his (very)
gentleness protecting him.
68. He who in (Tao's) wars has skill
Assumes no martial port;
He who fights with most good will
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Time Machine by H. G. Wells: touched the lever. At that the squat substantial-looking mass
swayed like a bough shaken by the wind. Its instability startled
me extremely, and I had a queer reminiscence of the childish days
when I used to be forbidden to meddle. I came back through the
corridor. The Time Traveller met me in the smoking-room. He was
coming from the house. He had a small camera under one arm and a
knapsack under the other. He laughed when he saw me, and gave me
an elbow to shake. `I'm frightfully busy,' said he, `with that
thing in there.'
`But is it not some hoax?' I said. `Do you really travel
through time?'
The Time Machine |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Montezuma's Daughter by H. Rider Haggard: are often far apart. Do you take my offer?'
'I incline to do so.'
'Then you will take it. Now I have something more to say before we
come to terms. I do not want you to play the part of an
apothecary's drudge. You will figure before the world as my
nephew, come from abroad to learn my trade. You will help me in it
indeed, but that is not all your duty. Your part will be to mix in
the life of Seville, and to watch those whom I bid you watch, to
drop a word here and a hint there, and in a hundred ways that I
shall show you to draw grist to my mill--and to your own. You must
be brilliant and witty, or sad and learned, as I wish; you must
Montezuma's Daughter |
