...as I regarded the beetle, steadfastly trundling along the ground, it suddenly paused in stride and looked towards me. 'Art thou so dull, child?' it said reproachfully. 'Thou seest not, though the answer lie before thy very eyes. Verily: the beasts roam to and fro upon the earth, without concern or care for tomorrow. Do the seasons not fail to arrive at their appointed times? Watch the scarab! he is serene, for he is wise. Consider his ways, and thou shalt find wisdom, to which all the philosophies of Man are as folly.' And it took its leave, industriously rolling its ball of dung.
I sat by the spring of Tavorus. I saw the sun in the expanse of sky reflected in the mirror-like water, and the roaming clouds of her entourage, and mine eyes beheld them as if for the first time. Indeed, the rains and the droughts come and go; they care not. Our Lord (may he live forever!) reclines in the darkness of the earth, as the lives of men pass like vapours exhaled from his nostrils; he cares not. What is Man, that his life and vainglory are of consequence? Kings squabble and war for dominance and treasure, and the Sun sneers in unforgiving heat. For when the blood of mortals seeps into the ground only she remains upon her zenithal throne, a queen indifferent to the lives of worms. She cares not.
...Thus I considered the scarab, and found wisdom in his ways.
—Musings;
19th Dareen of the Dragon's Year,
forty-third cycle.
(T2T MUD fanfiction, written c. 2003)