Nothing serious

Author: Ge Jun / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The purpose of the "Mind Gems" series is to help readers temporarily forget the troubles of reality through thought-provoking articles in the book. Every day, we prepare a short story for our readers, followed by the author's reflections on the story, guiding them to reflect on some simple and fundamental questions in life. We do not dare to hope that the content of the book will change your life, but we firmly believe that if you are willing to spend a little time reading every day, it will surely make your life more optimistic and positive. We firmly believe that spending 10 minutes a day thinking about life will make every second of your 86,400 seconds in a day more fulfilling.
A dog and a cat lived in a house. The dog was diligent. Every day, when no one was at home, the dog would perk up its ears and vigilantly patrol the surroundings. At the slightest movement, it would bark furiously and rush forward, as if serving as a loyal guardian, diligently protecting the house. Whenever the family was present, the dog's vigilance would slightly relax, and sometimes it would even lie down and sleep. As a result, in the eyes of everyone at home, this dog was lazy and incompetent, so it was often neglected and never rewarded with delicious food.
The cat was lazy. Whenever no one was at home, it would snore loudly and sleep soundly, regardless of the fact that a group of mice were rampaging in the house. After sleeping enough, it would stroll around and stretch its muscles. When the owner returned home, its alertness would be restored. It would peek here and there, as if it were a diligent "policeman" on duty. Occasionally, it would also lick the owner's feet and act cute. In the eyes of the owner, this was undoubtedly a hardworking and diligent cat. Naturally, all the delicious food was given to it.
Due to the cat's laziness, there were more and more mice in the house. Finally, one day, the mice chewed up the owner's valuable furniture, and the owner was furious. He gathered the family for a lecture: "Everyone look, our cat is already so diligent, yet the mice have become so rampant. I believe one important reason is that lazy dog—it sleeps all day and doesn't help catch a few mice for the cat. I solemnly declare that we should kick the dog out of the house and get another cat. What do you think?" The family all agreed, saying, "This dog is indeed lazy—it sleeps all day. Look at the cat—it's so diligent, catching so many mice that it's almost too fat to move. We should definitely kick the dog out and get another cat."
Thus, the poor dog was sadly driven out of the house. Throughout the entire process, it never understood why the owner wanted to get rid of it. It only noticed that the fat cat was secretly laughing behind it.
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