The Nails in the Fence

    There 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 anail 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 dwndled 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 histemper.

    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, and it won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

附翻译如下：

              篱笆上的钉子

    从前有一个小男孩脾气很坏，父亲给他一袋钉子，告诉他每当他脾气失控时，就在篱笆的背面钉一颗钉子。

    第一天，小男孩往篱笆上钉了37颗钉子。后来几周里，他逐渐学会了克制情绪，钉入篱笆的钉子日渐减少。他发现控制情绪比在篱笆上钉钉子要容易得多。

    终于有一天，小男孩可以完全控制自己情绪了。他告诉了父亲，父亲建议他在能够支配情绪的日子里，每天拔下一颗钉子。

    日子一天天过去，小男孩终于告诉父亲钉子全部拔完了。父亲牵着儿子的手领他来到篱笆前。他说：“儿子，干得不错。但你看看篱笆上的这些洞。这到篱笆永远不是从前的篱笆了。每当你说气话时，也会留下同样的疤痕。你可以持刀刺向别人然后再拔出来，但不管你道歉多少次，伤疤依旧。口头的伤害和身体的伤害一样伤人啊。”