February 2001 Newsletter - Nail in
the Fence
There once was a little boy who had 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. The first day the boy had driven
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 down. He
discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into
the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at
all. He 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. He said, "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." A verbal wound is as bad as a
physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you
smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of
praise and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your
friends how much you care.
Author Unknown
To succeed in life , karate or any endeavor, each
person must accept the responsibility to live life each day and strive to
improve daily. When one's temper is not controlled, the outside forces
in life take control. The holes in the fence are the gaps in life when
others are hurt by our action or inaction. Can we replace friends as
easily as we would replace the boards in the fence. Is this a realistic
option, especially if you are that piece of wood? |
