Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. What a crock!

Tell that to the 13-year-old girl that gets bullied over social media. Words. Or the 7-year-old little leaguer who can’t get a hit, while the coach’s kid is the superstar. How’s that feel when the other players are talking about what a loser he is. Words. What about the lunchroom conversation about a co-worker’s divorce… “Hey, did you hear…?” Words.

Gossip is defined as “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.” Words. Always negative.

I recently heard Darren Hardy tell the following story. I found it online at www.moralstories.org.

Once upon a time, an old man spread rumors that his neighbor was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later, the young man was proven innocent. After being released, the man felt humiliated as he walked to his home. He sued the old man for wrongly accusing him.

In court, the old man told the judge, “They were just comments, and they didn’t harm anyone.” The judge, before passing sentence on the case, told the old man, “Write all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Cut them up and on the way home, throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence”.

The next day, the judge told the old man, “Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.”

The old man said, “I can’t do that! The wind must have spread them, and I don’t know where to find them”.

The judge then replied, “The same way, simple comments may destroy the honor of a man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it.” The old man realized his mistake and asked for forgiveness.

Sticks and stones might hurt your bones, but words might destroy you.

Words matter. Especially your own.