Points to Ponder — Page 24
— 24 Death of the Piglet A person cannot fully experience the emotions and feelings of another person. If someone’s chicken dies, he is pained more than he would be on hearing about the death of another’s son. In truth, most people copy the pain of another person while showing their support for him. They do not have the same pain in them. When they see that person, they make a sad face and utter a few words of support while their hearts are empty of the feelings of sadness. On the contrary, even if an insignificant thing of theirs is lost, they cannot bear the loss. There is a well-known story that tells of a cleaning lady who cleaned the house of the king. Once, as she walked out of the house, she leaned against a wall in the entrance and started crying. She cried with such depth that the gatekeepers thought that someone had died in the house of the king. On this thought, without understanding the situation, they also started lamenting. They leaned against the wall and started weeping so that no one would think that they were insensitive. Seeing them, others also started crying, then more joined in, so much so that the matter reached the court.