| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Symposium by Plato: of both. But the offspring of the heavenly Aphrodite is derived from a
mother in whose birth the female has no part,--she is from the male only;
this is that love which is of youths, and the goddess being older, there is
nothing of wantonness in her. Those who are inspired by this love turn to
the male, and delight in him who is the more valiant and intelligent
nature; any one may recognise the pure enthusiasts in the very character of
their attachments. For they love not boys, but intelligent beings whose
reason is beginning to be developed, much about the time at which their
beards begin to grow. And in choosing young men to be their companions,
they mean to be faithful to them, and pass their whole life in company with
them, not to take them in their inexperience, and deceive them, and play
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay: but it's death to go down, and that happens just as often."
"Whatever induces you to live in such a country?"
"I don't know, Maskull. Habit, I suppose. I have often thought of
moving out of it."
"A good deal must be forgiven you for having to spend your life in a
place like this, where one is obviously never safe from one minute to
another."
"You will learn by degrees," she answered, smiling.
She looked hard at the monster, and it got heavily to its feet.
"Get on again, Maskull!" she directed, climbing back to her perch.
"We haven't too much time to waste."
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus by Epictetus: Zeno that of positive instruction. Whereas you would fain set
up for a physician provided with nothing but drugs! Where and how
they should be applied you neither know nor care.
CIX
If what charms you is nothing but abstract principles, sit
down and turm them over quietly in your mind: but never dub
yourself a Philosopher, nor suffer others to call you so. Say
rather: He is in error; for my desires, my impulses are
unaltered. I give in my adhesion to what I did before; nor has my
mode of dealing with the things of sense undergone any change.
CX
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus |
