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of love. Our protection may now be complete, but it is the same security as that of the grave.
A certain emperor once built himself a palace for his safety and protection. Emperors certainly live in greater fear than others -- they have such great material wealth, there are many threats against their lives. They have riches, power, authority; it may be stolen at any time -- and their fear is in proportion to their wealth. So, in the palace the emperor built, there was only one gate. There were no windows, no doors; there was no way for an enemy to gain entry.
The king of a nearby kingdom came especially to view the palace. He was very impressed; it was so safe and so well-guarded no enemy could possibly get in. There was only one door, and that was guarded by a carefully selected squad of sentries who had been especially chosen in order of seniority. After all, can a sentry really be trusted? One might be tempted to kill the emperor in the night. So they had been hand-picked according to seniority, and each guard had to keep a keen eye on his junior. The other monarch was so impressed he said, "I shall also have such a palace built."
A beggar sitting by the side of the road overheard the two rulers talking and began to laugh loudly. Quite startled, they turned to him. The beggar said, "Pardon me, but there is just one thing you have overlooked. I have been sitting here begging, and I have watched this palace being built. There is only one flaw, but it might prove costly one day. If you take my advice you will go inside and stay there; then you will remove this one door and replace it with a wall instead. Then there will be no flaw, and no danger whatsoever."
The emperor said, "You fool! I understand what you are saying, but I would be as good as dead inside there. The palace would be my tomb."
The beggar replied, "It has already become a tomb. The grave is always the last door to remain open."
We are all in the process of dying, and the degree to which we step up measures for our security is in direct proportion to the progress we make in digging our own graves. The reason you look so lifeless is because you have made so
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