"The Prophet" By Khalil Gibran. On Reason And Passion.

The audio is the chapter from the book "The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran, called "On Reason and Passion." The priestess stood and asked the prophet to speak about reason and passion, and the prophet, in his answer, opened a broader vision of these two words.

Transcript

On reason and passion and the priest spoke again and said speak to us of reason and passion and he answered saying your soul is oftentimes a battlefield upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody but how shall I unless you yourself be also the peacemakers nay the lovers of all your elements your reason in your passion are the rotor and the sails of your suffering soul if either your sails or your rudder be broken you can but toss and drift or else be held at a standstill in mid seas for reason ruling alone is a force confining and passion unattended is a flame that burns to its own destruction therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion that it may sing and let it direct your passion with reason that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection and like the Phoenix rise above its own ashes I would have you consider your judgment in your appetite even as you would to love guests in your house surely you would not honor one guest above the other for he who is more mindful of one loses the love and the faith of both among the hills when you sit in the cool shade of the white poplars sharing the peace and serenity of distant fields and meadows then let your heart say in silence God rests in reason and when the storm comes and the mighty wind shakes the forest and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky then let your heart say in Oh God moves in passion and since your breath in God's we sphere and the leaf in God's forest you too shall rest in reason and move in passion