’Thiscannotbe；itisstilladream！thoughtEsarhaddon，andmadealastefforttoawake。’SurelyIamnotLailie，northeass，butEsarhaddon！’
Hecriedout，andatthesameinstantliftedhisheadoutofthefont……Theoldmanwasstandingbyhim，pouringoverhisheadthelastdropsfromthepitcher。
’Oh，howterriblyIhavesuffered！Andforhowlong！’saidEsarhaddon。
’Long？’repliedtheoldman，’youhaveonlydippedyourheadunderwaterandlifteditagain；see，thewaterisnotyetalloutofthepitcher。Doyounowunderstand？’
Esarhaddondidnotreply，butonlylookedattheoldmanwithterror。
’Doyounowunderstand，’continuedtheoldman，’thatLailieisyou，andthewarriorsyouputtodeathwereyoualso？Andnotthewarriorsonly，buttheanimalswhichyouslewwhenhuntingandateatyourfeastswerealsoyou。YouthoughtlifedweltinyoualonebutIhavedrawnasidetheveilofdelusion，andhaveletyouseethatbydoingeviltoothersyouhavedoneittoyourselfalso。
Lifeisoneinthemall，andyoursisbutaportionofthissamecommonlife。Andonlyinthatonepartoflifethatisyours，canyoumakelifebetterorworse——increasingordecreasingit。Youcanonlyimprovelifeinyourselfbydestroyingthebarriersthatdivideyourlifefromthatofothers，andbyconsideringothersasyourself，andlovingthem。Bysodoingyouincreaseyourshareoflife。
Youinjureyourlifewhenyouthinkofitastheonlylife，andtrytoaddtoitswelfareattheexpenseofotherlives。Bysodoingyouonlylessenit。Todestroythelifethatdwellsinothersisbeyondyourpower。Thelifeofthoseyouhaveslainhasvanishedfromyoureyes，butisnotdestroyed。Youthoughttolengthenyourownlifeandtoshortentheirs，butyoucannotdothis。Lifeknowsneithertimenorspace。Thelifeofamoment，andthelifeofathousandyears:yourlifeandthelifeofallthevisibleandinvisiblebeingsintheworld，areequal。Todestroylife，ortoalterit，isimpossible；forlifeistheonethingthatexists。Allelse，butseemstoustobe。’
Havingsaidthistheoldmanvanished。
NextmorningKingEsarhaddongaveordersthatLailieandalltheprisonersshouldbesetatlibertyandthattheexecutionsshouldcease。
OnthethirddayhecalledhissonAssur-bani-pal，andgavethekingdomoverintohishands；andhehimselfwentintothedeserttothinkoverallhehadlearnt。Afterwardshewentaboutasawandererthroughthetownsandvillages，preachingtothepeoplethatalllifeisone，andthatwhenmenwishtoharmothers，theyreallydoeviltothemselves。
1903。
work，deathandsicknessWORK，DEATHANDSICKNESS
ALEGEND。
THISisalegendcurrentamongtheSouthAmericanIndians。
God，saythey，atfirstmademensothattheyhadnoneedtowork:theyneededneitherhouses，norclothes，norfood，andtheyalllivedtilltheywereahundred，anddidnotknowwhatillnesswas。
When，aftersometime，Godlookedtoseehowpeoplewereliving，hesawthatinsteadofbeinghappyintheirlife，theyhadquarrelledwithoneanother，and，eachcaringforhimself，hadbroughtmatterstosuchapassthatfarfromenjoyinglife，theycursedit。
ThenGodsaidtohimself:’Thiscomesoftheirlivingseparately，eachforhimself。’Andtochangethisstateofthings，Godsoarrangedmattersthatitbecameimpossibleforpeopletolivewithoutworking。Toavoidsufferingfromcoldandhunger，theywerenowobligedtobuilddwellings，andtodigtheground，andtogrowandgatherfruitsandgrain。
’Workwillbringthemtogether，’thoughtGod。
’Theycannotmaketheirtools，prepareandtransporttheirtimber，buildtheirhouses，sowandgathertheirharvests，spinandweave，andmaketheirclothes，eachonealonebyhimself。’
’Itwillmakethemunderstandthatthemoreheartilytheyworktogether，themoretheywillhaveandthebettertheywilllive；andthiswillunitethem。’
Timepassedon，andagainGodcametoseehowmenwereliving，andwhethertheywerenowhappy。
Buthefoundthemlivingworsethanbefore。Theyworkedtogether(thattheycouldnothelpdoing)，butnotalltogether，beingbrokenupintolittlegroups。Andeachgrouptriedtosnatchworkfromothergroups，andtheyhinderedoneanother，wastingtimeandstrengthintheirstruggles，sothatthingswentillwiththemall。
Havingseenthatthis，too，wasnotwell，Goddecidedsoastoarrangethingsthatmanshouldnotknowthetimeofhisdeath，butmightdieatanymoment；andheannouncedthistothem。
’Knowingthateachofthemmaydieatanymoment，’thoughtGod，’theywillnot，bygraspingatgainsthatmaylastsoshortatime，spoilthehoursoflifeallottedtothem。’
Butitturnedoutotherwise。WhenGodreturnedtoseehowpeoplewereliving，hesawthattheirlifewasasbadasever。
Thosewhowerestrongest，availingthemselvesofthefactthatmenmightdieatanytime，subduedthosewhowereweaker，killingsomeandthreateningotherswithdeath。Anditcameaboutthatthestrongestandtheirdescendantsdidnowork，andsufferedfromthewearinessofidleness，whilethosewhowereweakerhadtoworkbeyondtheirstrength，andsufferedfromlackofrest。
Eachsetofmenfearedandhatedtheother。Andthelifeofmanbecameyetmoreunhappy。
Havingseenallthis，God，tomendmatters，decidedtomakeuseofonelastmeans；hesentallkindsofsicknessamongmen。Godthoughtthatwhenallmenwereexposedtosicknesstheywouldunderstandthatthosewhoarewellshouldhavepityonthosewhoaresick，andshouldhelpthem，thatwhentheythemselvesfallillthosewhoarewellmightinturnhelpthem。
AndagainGodwentaway，butwhenHecamebacktoseehowmenlivednowthattheyweresubjecttosicknesses，hesawthattheirlifewasworseeventhanbefore。TheverysicknessthatinGod’spurposeshouldhaveunitedmen，haddividedthemmorethanever。Thosemenwhowerestrongenoughtomakeotherswork，forcedthemalsotowaitonthemintimesofsickness；buttheydidnot，intheirturn，lookafterotherswhowereill。Andthosewhowereforcedtoworkforothersandtolookafterthemwhensick，weresowornwithworkthattheyhadnotimetolookaftertheirownsick，butleftthemwithoutattendance。Thatthesightofsickfolkmightnotdisturbthepleasuresofthewealthy，houseswerearrangedinwhichthesepoorpeoplesufferedanddied，farfromthosewhosesympathymighthavecheeredthem，andinthearmsofhiredpeoplewhonursedthemwithoutcompassion，orevenwithdisgust。Moreover，peopleconsideredmanyoftheillnessesinfectious，and，fearingtocatchthem，notonlyavoidedthesick，butevenseparatedthemselvesfromthosewhoattendedthesick。
ThenGodsaidtoHimself:’Ifeventhismeanswillnotbringmentounderstandwhereintheirhappinesslies，letthembetaughtbysuffering。’AndGodleftmentothemselves。
And，lefttothemselves，menlivedlongbeforetheyunderstoodthattheyalloughtto，andmightbe，happy。Onlyintheverylatesttimeshaveafewofthembeguntounderstandthatworkoughtnottobeabugbeartosomeandlikegalley-slaveryforothers，butshouldbeacommonandhappyoccupation，unitingallmen。Theyhavebeguntounderstandthatwithdeathconstantlythreateningeachofus，theonlyreasonablebusinessofeverymanistospendtheyears，months，hours，andminutes，allottedhim——inunityandlove。Theyhavebeguntounderstandthatsickness，farfromdividingmen，should，onthecontrary，giveopportunityforlovingunionwithoneanother。
