December 3
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.
Letters to Lucilius, Letter 13
The House Stood Empty
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.
A deer began to clear a building site. At night a tiger came, found the site suitable and carried on the work. During the day the deer laid the foundation. The next night the tiger put up the walls. The deer set the roof on top and lay down to sleep.
When the tiger came, the two quarrelled over the house. In the end they decided to share it.
The tiger brought home a deer he had killed for supper. His housemate ate nothing. The next day the deer came back with a dead tiger. Now the tiger went hungry.
That night each lay awake, waiting for the other to attack. Towards morning the deer moved his stiffened head. His antlers knocked loudly against the roof. The tiger leapt out through the door. The deer took the leap for an attack and fled as well.
Neither came back. The shared house stood empty until it fell down.
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