Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Sticks and stones
Good morning,
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."
I have been looking for the person who said this, never mind if he or she is not the one who said it originally, because I would like to be his disciple. Analysing the statement it is easy to understand what it means, and it is easier to agree when the person is someone else, because one can never feel how hurt that person could be when insulted. And people may keep their cool and not show hurt, but then may break the bones of the one who insulted him.
Most of us may not have had our bones broken, but some wordy retaliation might have hurt us more than mere broken bones. How do exchange of words sustain, how do quarrels carry on, how do fights become violent ? Usually the sparking flint is words.
Strangely, it might be safer to punch someone than to insult him. The victim might think that the doer is just a bit loco, or given the benefit of the doubt, the punch was wrongly intended, or he might just punch in return. But try to be a hero and say something unpleasant or nasty, and one will definitely suffer for it, often later.
Sometimes the words are just very shallow and mindless, and yet the wound could be very lasting. One has only to reflect and think to be reminded of the times one has been hurt by words, whether jestingly, thoughtlessly or intended. We all know how words had hurt us; anyone who has not been hurt by mere words has my everlasting respects.
During one of my computer class when I was in SIA, just jokingly, I said, There, I told you so to no one in particular, but after a participant had not followed my instructions and had her mistake displayed on her computer. It was a mistake I realized as soon as I had said it, but the harm had been done. Later I received a rating of 1, the lowest, on a scale of 1 to 4 from her in the course critique.
Words can be very powerful as a weapon. In an episode of the long story The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ChukoLiang once defeated his enemy without raising any weapon. In a battle, in an exchange of words, he merely vituperated his opponent who then fell dead when enough was said. That was the ploy of the great master ChukoLiang.
Harsh words make enemies, kind words make friends.
Have a nice day,
Ronald
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."
I have been looking for the person who said this, never mind if he or she is not the one who said it originally, because I would like to be his disciple. Analysing the statement it is easy to understand what it means, and it is easier to agree when the person is someone else, because one can never feel how hurt that person could be when insulted. And people may keep their cool and not show hurt, but then may break the bones of the one who insulted him.
Most of us may not have had our bones broken, but some wordy retaliation might have hurt us more than mere broken bones. How do exchange of words sustain, how do quarrels carry on, how do fights become violent ? Usually the sparking flint is words.
Strangely, it might be safer to punch someone than to insult him. The victim might think that the doer is just a bit loco, or given the benefit of the doubt, the punch was wrongly intended, or he might just punch in return. But try to be a hero and say something unpleasant or nasty, and one will definitely suffer for it, often later.
Sometimes the words are just very shallow and mindless, and yet the wound could be very lasting. One has only to reflect and think to be reminded of the times one has been hurt by words, whether jestingly, thoughtlessly or intended. We all know how words had hurt us; anyone who has not been hurt by mere words has my everlasting respects.
During one of my computer class when I was in SIA, just jokingly, I said, There, I told you so to no one in particular, but after a participant had not followed my instructions and had her mistake displayed on her computer. It was a mistake I realized as soon as I had said it, but the harm had been done. Later I received a rating of 1, the lowest, on a scale of 1 to 4 from her in the course critique.
Words can be very powerful as a weapon. In an episode of the long story The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ChukoLiang once defeated his enemy without raising any weapon. In a battle, in an exchange of words, he merely vituperated his opponent who then fell dead when enough was said. That was the ploy of the great master ChukoLiang.
Harsh words make enemies, kind words make friends.
Have a nice day,
Ronald
# posted by chunmu @ 6:02 PM 
