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>> This poem is a takeoff
against people who [inaudible].

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[ Laughter ]

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It's called, 'Wall, Cave, and
Pillar Statements, After Asoka.'

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In order to perfect all readers, the statements
should be carved on rock walls, on cave walls,

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and on the side of pillars so the charm

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of their instruction can affect the
mountain climbers near the cliffs,

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the plainsmen near the pillars, and the city
people near the caves they go to on vacations.

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The statements should, and in a fair
script, spell out the right text and gloss

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of the Philosopher's jocular remark.

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Text: "Honesty is the best policy."

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Gloss: "He means not 'best' but
'policy,' (this is the joke of it) whereas

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in fact Honesty is Honesty, Best
is Best, and Policy is Policy,

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the three terms being not
related, but here loosely allied.

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What is more important is that 'is' is, but the
rocklike truth of the text resides in the 'the.'

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[ Laughter ]

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The 'the' is The.

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By this means the amusing sage has raised
or caused to be raised the triple standard

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in stone: the single standard is too simple for
life, the double is mere degrading hypocrisy,

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but the third combines the
first two in a possible way,

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and contributes something unsayable of
its own: this is the pit, nut, seed,

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or stone of the fruit when the fruit
has been digested: It is good to do good

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for the wrong reason, better to do good for the
good reason, and best of all to do good good--

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i.e. when the doer and doe and whatever passes
between them are beyond all words like 'grace'

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or 'anagogic insight,' or definitions like
'particular instance of a hoped-at-law,

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and which the rocks alone can convey.

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This is the real reason for the rock
walls, the cave walls, and pillars,

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and not the base desires for permanence and
display that the teacher's conceit suggests.'

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That is the end of the statements, but, in
order to go on a way after the end so as to make

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up for having begun after the beginning,
and thus to come around to it in order

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to include the whole thing, add: "In some places
the poignant slogan, 'Morality is a bad joke

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like everything else, 'may be written
or not, granted that space exists

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for the vulgar remarks, the dates,
initials and hearts of lovers,

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and all other graffiti of
the prisoners of this world."