I have existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; and I shall exist till the end of time, for my being has no end.
I soared into limitless space and took wing in the imaginal world, approaching the circle of exalted light; and here I am now, mired in matter.
I listened to the teachings of Confucius, imbibed the wisdom of Brahma, and sat beside Buddha beneath the tree of insight. And now I am here, wrestling with ignorance and unbelief. I was on Sinai when Yahweh shed His effulgence on Moses; at the River Jordan I witnessed the miracles of the Nazarene; and in Medina I heard the words of the Messenger to the Arabs. And here I am now, a captive of confusion. I beheld the might of Babylon, the glory of Egypt, and the grandeur of Greece; and I still see the weakness, degradation, and pettiness in all those works. I sat with the sorcerers of Endor, the seers of Assyria, the prophets of Palestine; and I persist in singing the truth. I memorized the wisdom revealed to India, the heartfelt odes wrought by the inhabitants of the Arabian peninsula, and the music that embodies the sentiments of the Western people: yet still I am blind and do not see, deaf and do not hear. I endured the brutality of grasping conquerors, suffered oppression at the hands of tyrannical rulers, and was enslaved by despots: yet a power remains whereby I struggle against the days.
I saw and heard all that while still a child, and shall see and hear the exploits of youth and their consequences; then I shall grow old, and archieve perfection, and return unto God.
I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; and I shall exist till the end of time, for my being has no end.