the wearing down, the building up

A man stood before him, a sorrowful light in his weary, pain-drenched eyes.

"Mercer," Rick said.

"I am your friend," the old man said. "But you must go on as if I did not exist. Can you understand this?" He spread empty hands.

"No," Rick said. "I can't understand that. I need help."

"How can I save you," the old man said, "if I can't save myself?" He smiles. "Don't you see? There is no salvation."

"Then what's this for?" Rick demanded. "What are you for?"

"To show you," Wilbur Mercer said, "that you aren't alone. I am here with you and always will be. Go and do your task, even though you know it's wrong."

"Why?" Rick said. "Why should I do it? I'll quit my job and emigrate."

The old man said, "You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity. At some time, every creature which lives must do so. It is the ultimate shadow, the defeat of creation; this is the curse at work, the curse that feeds on all life. Everywhere in the universe."

~ From Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ~ Philip K. Dick ~

Nothing in the world is what it should be. It's harsh and cruel. But that's why there's us. Champions. It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be.

~ From Angel ~ 'Deep Down' ~

Lorne: The wheel keeps turning. You can't stop it. Sometimes things get better, sometimes they get worse.

Jean: I want the wheel to stop....

Lorne: It just don't work Jeanie. It's like a song. Now I can hold a note for a long time - actually I can hold a note forever - but eventually that's just noise. It's the change we're listening for, the note coming after, and the one after that. That's what makes it music.

~ From Angel ~ 'Happy Anniversary' ~