He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the exploration of one's inner self and the deeper connections to existence and time.
Jack London's quote suggests a profound introspection into the very essence of one's being, indicating that true understanding lies not just within the surface but also in the depths of one's nature and the historical context that shapes it. The phrase 'going back into the womb of Time' evokes the idea of reconnecting with the roots of existence and the collective experiences of humanity that influence personal identity.
In practice
In a discussion about personal growth during a seminar, one might say, 'As Jack London reflected on the depths of nature, we too must explore our own inner selves.'
The hand descended. Nearer and nearer it came. It touched the ends of his upstanding hair. He shrank down under it. It followed down after him, pressing more closely against him. Shrinking, almost shivering. He still managed to hold himself together. It was a torment, this hand that touched him and violated his instinct. He could not forget in a day all the evil that had been wrought him at the hands of men.
He became quicker of movement than the other dogs, swifter of foot, craftier, deadlier, more lithe, more lean with ironlike muscle and sinew, more enduring, more cruel more ferocious, and more intelligent. He had to become all these things, else he would not have held his own nor survived the hostile environment in which he found himself.
But it did not all happen in a day, this giving over of himself, body and soul, to the man-animals. He could not immediately forego his wild heritage and his memories of the Wild. There were days when he crept to the edge of the forest and stood and listened to something calling him far and away.
Of her own experience she had no memory of the thing happening; but in her instinct, which was the experience of all mothers of wolves, there lurked a memory of fathers that had eaten their new-born and helpless progeny.
Had the cub thought in man-fashion, he might have epitomized life as a voracious appetite, and the world as a place wherein ranged a multitude of appetites, pursuing and being pursued, hunting and being hunted, eating and being eaten, all in blindness and confusion, with violence and disorder, a chaos of gluttony and slaughter, ruled over by chance, merciless, planless, endless.
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
A man is rational in proportion as his intelligence informs and controls his desires.
O Lord! You are the guide of those who are passing through the Valley of Bewilderment. If I am a heretic, enlarge my heresy.
Capital as such is not evil; it is its wrong use that is evil. Capital in some form or other will always be needed.
The working masses of men and women, they and they alone, are responsible for everything that takes place, the good things and the bad things. True enough, they suffer most from a war, but it is their apathy, craving for authority, etc., that is most responsible for making wars possible. It follows of necessity from this responsibility that the working masses of men and women, they and they alone, are capable of establishing lasting peace.
The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.
As for life, it is a battle and a sojourning in a strange land; but the fame that comes after is oblivion.
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