Think about the impact of your words before you say them. You cannot take back something you’ve said.
Once there were two Indian boys that were very good friends. They explored, fished, and hunted together. They were both great athletes and well-liked by all in their tribe. In their village, there was also a young girl that they both began to like and compete for. One of the boys, out of jealousy, told the girl that the other boy had done something very bad which would disgrace him and his family. This was completely untrue. Afterwards, the first boy felt ashamed of what he had done. He told the girl that he had lied and he apologized to his friend for what he had said.
But, as he walked around the village, he could hear others repeating the false words he had spoken about his friend. Very troubled by this, he went to the tribal medicine man for advice.
‘How can I undo this terrible thing I have done?’, he asked.
The wise man told him, ‘Shoot 3 ducks and 3 geese. Pull off all their feathers and put them in a leather bag. Bring me the bag and the birds.’ The boy did this. He gave the birds to the wise man and the wise man said, ‘Now, take the bag of feathers to the top of the great mountain, open it, and shake out all the feathers. Then, return here.’ The boy climbed the mountain, released all the feathers into the wind, and dutifully returned to the wise man.
The wise man said, ‘Now, go back up the mountain and pick up every single feather you released and put them back in your bag.’ The boy replied, ‘But, that is not possible. The feathers have blown far away. I can never recover all of them.’ The wise man said, ‘So it is with your words.
I would add that in the time and place of these boys and medicine man there was no such thing as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Snapchat or any other smartphone app. Words that are written can be as hurtful and regardless of what anyone might tell you once typed or written they are forever and cannot be taken back
