Hermann Hesse. The glass bead game (№ 266225)

Times of great pain or turmoil, and in world history too, possess compelling force of necessity, they are lit in the soul a sense of aching urgency and oppressive tension. Then, as a result of the shocks, can occur something beautiful and bright, or something crazy and gloomy; in any case, what is going to happen, it will seem great, necessary and important and dramatically different from what is happening on a daily basis.