Friday, May 05, 2006

Something to think about

I forget where on the internet I read this. A good lesson about anger.

"A BAG OF NAILS"

"Once upon a time there was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he should hammer a nail in the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. But gradually, the number of daily nails dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the first day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He proudly told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say 'I'm sorry', the wound is still there."


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, the power of words!

Who said: "Sticks and stones will break your bones, but names will never hurt you."? They can be the proverbial nail.

goldenlucyd said...

Great lesson for all of us. Kind of analagous with the boy who tore open a down pillow and then tried to put all the feathers back in. Words and gossip are impossbile to
"put back" too.
It's not always easy to do but it's so important to think before engaing our mouth!
lucyd

Chancy said...

Joared, Words can sometimes hurt more than a nail, true.

Jude , Good analogy Nail on the head.

Lucy, That is so right. Can't restuff a pillow or erase a spoken word.

Thanks for the comments

Tabor said...

Why can some of us control our tempers and remain healthy and some of us have to let it all hang out?

Chancy said...

Good question Tabor.

Anonymous said...

A powerful lesson and very wise father.

millie garfield said...

Chancy

Lucy sent me.

What a great story - what a good lesson for that boy and any of us who read it.

Once the word is out, it's too late to take back. - As the police office on "Hillstreet Blues" said, "Let's be careful out there."

Chancy said...

Colleen and Millie thanks for stopping by.

Chancy

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