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Alan Dugan - Wall, Cave, And Pillar Statements, After Asoka
Work rating: Low

In order to perfect all readers 
the statements should he carved 
on rock walls, on cave walls, 
and on the sides of pillars so 
the charm of their instruction can 
affect the mountain climbers near 
the cliffs, the plainsmen near 
the pillars, and the city people near 
the caves they go to on vacations. 


The statements should, and in a fair 
script, spell out the right text and gloss 
of the Philosopher’s jocular remark. Text: 
“Honesty is the best policy.” Gloss: 
“He means not ‘best’ but ‘policy,’ 
(this is the joke of it) whereas in fact 
       Honesty is Honesty, Best 
       is Best, and Policy is Policy, 
       the three terms being not 
       related, but here loosely allied. 
What is more important is that ‘is’ 
is, but the rocklike truth of the text 
resides in the ‘the’. The ‘the’ is The. 
       By this means the amusing sage 
       has raised or caused to be raised 
       the triple standard in stone: 
the single is too simple for life, 
the double is mere degrading hypocrisy, 
but the third combines the first two 
in a possible way, and contributes 
something unsayable of its own: 
this is the pit, nut, seed, or stone 
of the fruit when the fruit has been 
digested: 
       It is good to do good for the wrong 
       reason, better to do good for the good 
       reason, and best of all to do good 
       good: i.e. when the doer and doee 
       and whatever passes between them 
       are beyond all words like ‘grace’ 
       or ‘anagogic insight,’ or definitions like 
       ‘particular instance of a hoped-at-law,’ 
and which the rocks alone can convey. 
This is the real reason for the rock walls, 
the cave walls and pillars, and not the base 
desires for permanence and display 
that the teacher’s conceit suggests.” 


       That is the end of the statements, but, 
       in order to go on a way after the end 
       so as to make up for having begun 
       after the beginning, and thus to come around 
       to it in order to include the whole thing, 
add: “In some places the poignant slogan, 
‘Morality is a bad joke like everything else,’ 
may be written or not, granted that space 
exists for the vulgar remarks, the dates, 
initials and hearts of lovers, and all 
other graffiti of the prisoners of this world.”
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