tlyingandtransientcircumstancestomakeouroccasions.Theyare,infact,thecauseofourdistraction.Nearesttoallthingsisthatpowerwhichfashionstheirbeing.Nexttousthegrandestlawsarecontinuallybeingexecuted.Nexttousisnottheworkmanwhomwehavehired,withwhomwelovesowelltotalk,buttheworkmanwhoseworkweare.
“HowvastandprofoundistheinfluenceofthesubtilepowersofHeavenandofEarth!”
“Weseektoperceivethem,andwedonotseethemweseektohearthem,andwedonothearthemidentifiedwiththesubstanceofthings,theycannotbeseparatedfromthem.”
“Theycausethatinalltheuniversemenpurifyandsanctifytheirhearts,andclothethemselvesintheirholidaygarmentstooffersacrificesandoblationstotheirancestors.Itisanoceanofsubtileintelligences.Theyareeverywhere,aboveus,onourleft,onourrighttheyenvironusonallsides.”
Wearethesubjectsofanexperimentwhichisnotalittleinterestingtome.Canwenotdowithoutthesocietyofourgossipsalittlewhileunderthesecircumstances,—haveourownthoughtstocheerus?Confuciussaystruly,“Virtuedoesnotremainasanabandonedorphanitmustofnecessityhaveneighbors.”
Withthinkingwemaybebesideourselvesinasanesense.Byaconsciouseffortofthemindwecanstandalooffromactionsandtheirconsequencesandallthings,goodandbad,gobyuslikeatorrent.WearenotwhollyinvolvedinNature.Imaybeeitherthedrift-woodinthestream,orIndraintheskylookingdownonit.Imaybeaffectedbyatheatricalexhibitionontheotherhand,Imaynotbeaffectedbyanactualeventwhichappearstoconcernmemuchmore.Ionlyknowmyselfasahumanentitythescene,sotospeak,ofthoughtsandaffectionsandamsensibleofacertaindoublenessbywhichIcanstandasremotefrommyselfasfromanother.Howeverintensemyexperience,Iamconsciousofthepresenceandcriticismofapartofme,which,asitwere,isnotapartofme,butspectator,sharingnoexperience,buttakingnoteofitandthatisnomoreIthanitisyou.Whentheplay,itmaybethetragedy,oflifeisover,thespectatorgoeshisway.Itwasakindoffiction,aworkoftheimaginationon