"Fractions of the Soul" invites the reader to eavesdrop on the wisdom communicated beyond the sacred boundaries of the master-apprentice relationship. In a series of orations, or meditations, the master sheds wisdom of a lifetime as he senses his inevitable death. Topics explored between the whetstone and his blade range from identifying flaws in perception, feminine manipulation techniques, unavoidable loneliness and solitude, and the nature of his love for her.
Offering his unique understanding and interpretation of the world to his student, the master's wisdom is imbued with his passion, and demonstrates his secret love for the apprentice in an attempt to reaffirm life before death.
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"What amateurs see is one man and one woman. However, know that the senses deceive without further interrogation and that the human heart is legion—many within one. No one's heart is a tabula rasa, i.e., a blank slate, because their heart already has words scribbled upon it when they encounter the other for the first time. Each has had their share of prior feelings, memories, and experiences with other people—ghosts of who they were with others and ghosts of who others were with them—and these ghosts haunt the meeting between the living unfolding here and now. What observers see are multiple fractions of individuals intertwined with other multiple fractions."
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"But then, as I am about to close the door to my passion and retire my spirit, I hear the Master's voice asking me to feed his sheep. And I do, not because I love the blade, even though, secretly, I do, but because I serve my Master. I cast my seeds, the fruits of my mind, heart, and soul, unto the ground in servitude to Him and solemnly watch His sheep fill their bellies on the fruits of my pain only to excrete it, without a second thought, in their stride to greener pastures with tastier seeds and vegetation. Seeing my love as their excrement tires my soul."
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"Many perceive life through both a tangible and an intangible keyhole, so to speak, but are unaware of the limitations and restrictions imposed by the keyhole; most people believe that their limited perspective through the keyhole reflects the totality of what rests on the other side of the door. Should the door open and they enter the room, they would find new things available to them, previously unknown and unimagined. But most are happy, sedated, and content with seeing through the keyhole; these people are a waste of time and offer further evidence to the hollowness of human beings. Perhaps some have been given the gift to work with these people; I have not. My gift is to take what a person is and make them better and sharper than before, not to convince them through clever persuasion that reality is more than what meets the eye."