Chancellor Li Si of Qin

Author: Qian Ning / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-01-01
Features: The Past in the Eyes of the Present
At that time, Li Si had a sudden realization about life while using the restroom. He was 26 years old and worked as a minor clerk in charge of grain storage in the Shangcai County of Chu. Every day, he meticulously recorded the inflow and outflow of grain in the warehouse, writing detailed notes on bamboo slips. The granary was located five miles outside the eastern gate of the city, a rectangular high platform made of earth and surrounded by reed mats. Inside, dozens of storage pits were constructed to hold various grains such as rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, and beans. The outhouse was nearby. It was a small pit covered by a grass mat, with two tree trunks crossing over it.
Li Si entered the outhouse and startled a group of mice nearby before even lifting his robes. These little rodents were emaciated and dry, with drooping heads and claws, their fur dull and matted together. They were covered in dung and urine, desperately trying to escape from under the grass mat. One of the mice, overcome with panic, couldn’t climb onto the edge of the pit and, after struggling, finally fell into the dung, covered in thick yellow waste with urine dripping profusely.
Watching these miserable rodents, Li Si suddenly found himself unable to relieve himself. He recalled the mice in the granary. Those creatures were plump and sleek, with glossy fur, and ate the stored grains boldly. When a person approached, they remained motionless, their small, focused eyes staring at you, then continued to gnaw away at their food as if nothing had happened.
"Life is like that of a mouse—either in a granary or in a toilet," Li Si thought. Realizing they were of the same species but with different fates, he sighed deeply, "Whether one’s life is meaningful or not depends entirely on finding one’s place in the world." After that, he slowly relieved himself.