Points to Ponder — Page 40
— 40 The Prince There are two kinds of pleasures, one which is personally gained and one which is inherited. Personal pleasure, in any way, is a pleasure but the happiness inherited is not worthwhile until accompanied by personal experience of that happiness. Joy of a nation is in receiving both types of happiness. One pleasure is that they get a chance for individual sacrifice and the second pleasure is that their ancestors were also blessed with the opportunity to sacrifice in the way of God. When a nation has attained both these types of happiness, then their pleasure is complete. When a person sees that his parents were revered and respected but he is in disrepute, his heart is filled with sorrow. It is related in history that a rich poet went to a public bathhouse to take a bath. The rich poet asked for a servant to massage his body. The owner of the bathhouse sent a strong young man from his employees to give him a massage. After donning the underclothes and taking off the rest, the poet sat down in a Jacuzzi, perfumed water flowing over his body. The servant started rubbing fragrant lotions on his body. The poet went into a state which took his self to melody and he started muttering a couplet.