Reflection of Preexistence

Here is a man who arrives at the end of his career. In a few hours he will be no more of this world. In this supreme moment, is he conscious of the result, of the net product of life? Does he see his summary as in a mirror? Can he form an idea of it? No, certainly. Yet, this net product, this summary exists somewhere. It is in the soul in a latent manner, without her being able to discern it. She will discern it in the eyes of all; then the summary of all the past, taking life at the same time, will recognize itself really. Here we know ourselves only by parcels; the light of one day is extinguished by the darkness of another day; the soul encloses and keeps in her treasury a portion of impressions, of perceptions, of desires that we forget. Our memory is far from being proportioned to the capacity of our soul;

and so many things that acted upon our soul, of which we have lost the remembrance, are for us as if they had never existed. Meanwhile, they had their effect, and their effect remains; the soul keeps its impression, which is found in the final summary, which will be our future life. (Extracted from the Pensées genevoises, of François Roget. (Magasin pittoresque - Google Books, 1861, page 222).

[1] Publisher's Note: See “Explanatory note,” p. 527.