| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Tao Teh King by Lao-tze: scourge to it; while he who does not (try to) do so is a blessing.
3. He who knows these two things finds in them also his model and
rule. Ability to know this model and rule constitutes what we call
the mysterious excellence (of a governor). Deep and far-reaching is
such mysterious excellence, showing indeed its possessor as opposite
to others, but leading them to a great conformity to him.
66. 1. That whereby the rivers and seas are able to receive the homage
and tribute of all the valley streams, is their skill in being lower
than they;--it is thus that they are the kings of them all. So it is
that the sage (ruler), wishing to be above men, puts himself by his
words below them, and, wishing to be before them, places his person
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Koran: celebrate God's praises!"'
Said they, 'Celebrated be the praises of our Lord! verily, we were
unjust!'
And they approached each other with mutual blame.
Said they, 'O woe to us! verily, we have been outrageous! Haply
our Lord may give us instead a better than it; verily, we unto our
Lord do yearn.'
Thus is the torment, but, verily, the torment of the hereafter is
greater, if ye did but know!
Verily, for the pious with their Lord are gardens of pleasure!
Shall we then make the Muslims like the sinners? What ails you?
The Koran |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from From London to Land's End by Daniel Defoe: England I do not remember to have seen anything like this, which,
as they told me, is two-and-thirty feet high, and of excellent
workmanship, and that it came last from Candia, but formerly from
Alexandria. What may belong to the history of it any further, I
suppose is not known--at least, they could tell me no more of it
who showed it me.
On the left of the court was formerly a large grotto and curious
water-works; and in a house, or shed, or part of the building,
which opened with two folding-doors, like a coach-house, a large
equestrian statue of one of the ancestors of the family in complete
armour, as also another of a Roman Emperor in brass. But the last
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