In view of the previous post, I thought this story was appropriate:
There was once a boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.
On the first day the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled.
He discovered that it was easier to hold his temper than to drive nails into a fence. Finally, a day came when he didn’t need the hammer and nails at all. Proudly, he went to tell his father. This time the father suggested that each day he kept his temper, the boy should pull out a nail from the fence.
The days passed, until eventually the boy was able to tell his father that at last all the nails were gone. The father took the boy by the hand and led him to the fence. “You have done well — but look at all the holes in the fence! It will never be the same again. 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.”
Search
Subscribe 
You are currently browsing the Bene Diction Blogs On weblog archives.
Related Entries
For blog design, Wordpress or MovableType coding or blog consulting, see cre8d design.
It is an interesting sentiment however humans are capable of foregiveness and wounds do heal.
As one of the targets of the example quoted in the previous entry here is my perspective. At the time I certainly felt uncomfortable with the intensity of the language in the post and chose not to continue in the thread.
I understood when subsequently Rev Mike felt that he had posted inappropriately. I accepted his apology and moved on. No long term hole in the fence on this one.
From time to time we all say or do things that are inappropriate and it is a truely a sad world if we cannot call upon the understanding and foregiveness of our fellow travellers.
I think if I were the boy, I woulda gone back to losing my temper. Pounding nails is way more fun than trying to get the out (especially if one did a very good job at the pounding part).
Found this in a pundits comments today:
“We are not run mad, my Lord, that we need do this kindness to the Demons, to claw at one another.”
Greenman - for sure. It’s only a story. As you say, forgiveness and therefore healing is always possible. But sometimes even the most complete healing leaves a scar. It all depends how deep the wound is. My point in re-telling the story was only that our words can do lasting damage and we should be careful how we use ‘em. There’s more excuse in normal conversation because face to face we can “fly off the handle” and speak without thinking. But a blog post, comment or email isn’t quite so spontaneous as that.
The Dane - pulling nails out would make me lose my temper too!