Nails in the Boards

Nails in the Boards

-(Laugh and Wisdom Story for Educators)-

This is a story that being told to me many times. First, I read it in my high school magazine - and then in a book written by Anthony de Mello. I really love this story and told to my daughter many times...

A kid named Imam is so naughty... he likes to mock his friends, fighting with other kids and makes older people get angry with his behaviour. Her parents try to tell her that he must behave better, and it makes other people sad when he keeps doing it.

"Imam, we have nails and hammer here. And we have some boards too. Every time you make other people angry, or when you feel angry, you can nail in these boards."

Imam didn't know its meaning but he likes to do this job because he still has believed his parents care for him. 

In the first day, Imam hammered 15 nails. Her father said: "well, we can make a fence too while doing it."

In second day, Imam hammered 18 nails, but it then getting slower because he realize that sometimes he got injury while doing it. It easier to be more patient rather doing this job everyday.

Then there was a day when he hammered no nail. His father told her: "Well done Imam. You hammered nothing this day. From now, you can pull nails every time you can hold your anger, and say or do something nice to people you hurt before."

Imam sometimes still hammered the nails to the board but he is more often pulling the nails. And there was a day when all the nails in the boards are gone. Imam feel very happy when he knows that it means that now he becomes a more patient kid, and have doing all good things to his friends. He talks to her father, "Look father, no more nails in the boards. I become more patient now."

His father answered," Congratulation Imam, well done. I see that you become stronger and wiser now. I really grateful as your father. But come closer can you see the boards?

"Yes father." He answered politely.

"Do you see the holes? You can see that people heart is like a board. When we hurt people, we make a hole in their heart. We can ask for apologize many times, doing many good things for them, but the holes are still left in their heart. Just like a board, we can patch the hole with cement or putty, but the hole is still remain. Be wiser when you are doing something...  people heart is fragile, more than a board."

Picture taken from www.flickr.com