| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Adieu by Honore de Balzac: the ease of a bird. She gathered an apple and ate it; then she dropped
to the ground with the graceful ease we admire in a squirrel. Her
limbs possessed an elasticity which took from every movement the
slightest appearance of effort or constraint. She played upon the
turf, rolling herself about like a child; then, suddenly, she flung
her feet and hands forward, and lay at full length on the grass, with
the grace and natural ease of a young cat asleep in the sun. Thunder
sounded in the distance, and she turned suddenly, rising on her hands
and knees with the rapidity of a dog which hears a coming footstep.
The effects of this singular attitude was to separate into two heavy
masses the volume of her black hair, which now fell on either side of
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: magnetic current, had become aware of this crisis. In my
ignorance, and the total stoppage of my thoughts, I stood
stock-still, and noticed various people crouching, or shifting
their positions.
"Sit quiet," said the dealer, scornfully to the man near me.
"Can't you see he don't want to push trouble? He has handed
Trampas the choice to back down or draw his steel."
Then, with equal suddenness and ease, the room came out of its
strangeness. Voices and cards, the click of chips, the puff of
tobacco, glasses lifted to drink,--this level of smooth
relaxation hinted no more plainly of what lay beneath than does
The Virginian |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Psychology of Revolution by Gustave le Bon: Now history shows us how irresistible is the might of a strong
belief. Invincible Rome herself had to bow before the armies of
nomad shepherds illuminated by the faith of Mahommed. For the
same reason the kings of Europe could not resist the
tatterdemalion soldiers of the Convention. Like all apostles,
they were ready to immolate themselves in the sole end of
propagating their beliefs, which according to their dream were to
renew the world.
The religion thus founded had the force of other religions, if
not their duration. Yet it did not perish without leaving
indelible traces, and its influence is active still.
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