In Search of a Better World

In Search of a Better World
Soul Searcher

Monday, March 23, 2009

This time your hurting won't heal

Hello everyone!
A small story that tells you what happens when you hurt someone else.
All of us do it knowingly or unknowingly.
Let us stop hurting others.

Here is your monday morning story for the week.


When I confronted my friend after she hurt a colleague, she cried and immediately wanted to apologize. That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can't always make things better.

I told her the parable of Will, a 9-year-old whose father abandoned his mom two years earlier. Will was angry, and he often lashed out at others with hurtful words. He once told his mom, "I see why Dad left you!"

Unable to cope with his cruel outbursts, she sent him to his grandparents for the summer. His grandfather's strategy to help Will learn self-control was to make him go into the garage and pound a two-inch-long nail into a four-by-four board every time he said a mean thing.

For a small boy, this was a major task, and he couldn't return until the nail was all the way in. After about ten trips to the garage, Will began to be more cautious about his words. Eventually, he even apologized for all the bad things he'd said.

That's when his grandmother stepped in. She told him to bring in the board filled with nails and instructed him to pull them all out. This was even harder than pounding them in, but after a huge struggle, he did it.

His grandmother hugged him and said, "I appreciate your apology, and of course I forgive you because I love you, but I want you to know an apology is like pulling out one of these nails. Look at the board. The holes are still there. The board will never be the same. Your dad put a hole in you, Will, but please don't put holes in other people. You're better than that."

Story credited to Michael Josephson

12 comments:

  1. Great moral to the story. This, of course, doesn't mean that an apology is a wasted effort. We should apologize when we have done wrong, but more important, we should try our best to be mindful of our actions and take the right path, even when it is not the one of least resistance.

    This was a wonderful post, Soul Searcher. Thank you. Namaste

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  2. I remember reading this little story a long time ago but failed to really put the thought into practice. But that doesn't qualify me as a monster, does it?
    Thanks for reminding me again. This time I will be more cautious.

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  3. great story man...the last paragraph is really nice

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  4. So good, I have no words to describe. Waiting for more such stuff.

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  5. yes rightly said... great going... Keep it up.

    Cheers,
    Jayashree

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  6. Dear Soul Searcher,

    Yes, hurting a person is very easy but later on, even though you sincerely apologize, still the pain persists as it doesn’t heal that easily.

    Thanks for sharing this nice parable, keep sharing many more :)

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  7. please don't put holes in other people. You're better than that...good piece...cheers..it's raining here in sharjah as of today but v r gearing up for scorching summer..thanks 4 passing by buddy..

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  8. Not too long ago...I was one of those who set out in search of a better world...I finally discovered the destination within me.

    Nice blog dude...and hey...thanx for following my blog...lenspassion.

    Also visit my other blog
    www.meetnivi.blogspot.com

    you might find someting interesting :))

    follow/add/ leave a comment :))

    I will keep coming back for more from you...until then...

    -nivi

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  9. Makes Sense. Words of the wise. Nicee..

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  10. Dear Soul Searcher,

    There's an award waiting for you to pick up over at my blog; come and take it...

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  11. Beautiful story! If only all grandparents taught this lesson.

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