Raise your words, not your voice. It is rains that grows, not thunder. – Rumi
Words are powerful and when used to attack others can cause great pain and suffering.
It reminds me of a story of a father teaching his son about the power of words. He gave him a bag of nails and told him every time he felt like losing his temper to hammer a nail into a piece of wood.
Nails in the Fence author unknown 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." The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked up at his father and said "I hope you can forgive me father for the holes I put in you." "Of course I can," said the father.
Powerful lesson.
For me Rumi’s quote reminds me to raise my words to a good vibration … in other words speak my truth respectfully and compassionately.
I truly feel this journey we share is to walk tall and support each other in finding our own way … because in the end, we walk the same path.