74
THE W AY OF THE SEEKERS
32.
To be a busybody: To meddle in things with which one is in no wise concerned.
33.
Loquacity: Glib talk. An over-talkative person is a mindless person and would answer questions without much thought.
34.
To be callous and hard-hearted: Absence of compassion too is a vice.
35. 36. 37.
Sadism. Extravagance. Suicide.
38.
Purposeless lies: Lying is a major vice. But some people are given to telling purposeless lies. This too is bad. The evils that are related to others are of two kinds:
1. Those which have to do with human beings. 2. Those which concern animals other than human beings. At this stage, the Hazrat was asked how to give up smoking. Hazrat replied: Smoking is more difficult to give up than opium eating. I had a friend who was an old addict. He wanted to give up opium eating but his physician warned him he would die if he gave it up. But he did, In fact, give up this bad habit. For a few days, he had to suffer but he soon recovered and was restored to good health. I shall take up this question later on in the course of my address. Without disturbing the general pattern of it, I will say at this stage only that you can give up smoking by giving it up. The vices relating to human beings are the following: 1. Rudeness: Not to respect those who ought to be respected. 2. Exaggerated expression of love. 3. Faithlessness: To invoke your friend’s assistance when you need it, but to deny assistance to friends when they need it most. 4. Fatuity or Silliness: Being short-tempered; exhibiting