Prabhupāda: These are the defects of the society at the present moment. A fourth-class, fifth-class man is on the first class or second class. Why Nixon had to be dragged down? He's a third-class man.
Scheuerman: Third-class man.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (laughter)
Scheuerman: That's rather high on the ladder, I'd say, Your Excellency. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: So these mistakes are going on.
- avyāpare suvyaparam
- 'yo naraḥ kartum icchati
- sa-mulo hanyate
- 'khila pārthiva vānaraḥ.
So one man's food is another man's poison. So one should not misplace what he's unable to do.
Scheuerman: Many of these expressions that you are reading sound very similar to what we call the "Wisdom Literature" of the Old Testament of our Bible, of Syrac and Ecclesiasticis and Ecclesiasticus, and also, of course, some of the sayings of Jesus are very close to what you're saying here. Jesus said: "Seek first the kingdom of heaven, and all these other things will be added besides." That's the first-class man, who's constantly working toward the kingdom. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek," and so on.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. If there is a first class, set a first-class man on the head of the society, then everything will be done properly.
Kern: In the Mass today Jesus said: "You must be perfected as your heavenly father is perfect."
Prabhupāda: Yes. That's nice.
Scheuerman: I was wondering if you had some plan, some thoughts, in the way in which we could mutually cooperate for the . . .
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. There is plan. Now suppose if I say: "Let us create some peaceful man," so who will disagree with this? I don't say everyone will be peaceful, but some of them can be trained up. Some of them can be trained up courageous in battle. We have to select by practical psychology what is the tendency. Similarly, we should divide . . .
Scheuerman: In other words, you would utilize practical psychology in the selection of people for the various levels.