Words, Feathers & Self-Discovery
Words, Feathers & Self-Discovery
There is a 19th century folktale about a young woman who lived in a small town in Eastern Europe. She wanted to make amends to all those about whom she had spoken ill. She was known throughout the entire village to be a gossip and had lost the respect of her fellow villagers. She loved to share the juiciest pieces of gossip with whomever would listen, never once considering the ramifications on her victims – or herself.
temptation
It did not matter to her if the stories she spread were true, or not. Deep inside, she knew she was wronging others, yet the temptation to gossip was just too enticing. She succumbed to it time and time again feeling compelled to share what she knew about others with her colleagues, friends and family, who then told it to their colleagues, friends and families, who told it to people they knew…and, so on and so on.
the value of a conscience
One day, after hearing her rabbi speak about the harm gossip causes, this woman felt terrible about her actions. She went to him and said, "Rabbi, I am truly sorry for all the harm and pain I have caused so many people. Can I be forgiven? I repent and will gossip no more.”
Feathers in the wind
Realizing that this woman still had not internalized the gravity of her words, the Rabbi replied “yes, but here is what you must do. Go home and find a feather pillow. Open the pillow and release the feathers in the wind, then come back to me."
The woman thought this a strange request, but she did as she was told.
When she came back, the rabbi said, "Now… go and gather all the feathers you released from the pillow."
"But that is impossible!" The woman replied. “They have flown all over the place. I do not even know where most of them have traveled!"
“Precisely,” the rabbi answered. “And though you may truly wish to correct the wrong you have done, it is impossible to repair the damage done from your words, just as it is impossible to recover all the feathers that scattered with the wind. Once gossip leaves your mouth, you do not know where it will have traveled. Words fly on the wings of the wind, and you can never get them back.
self-discovery
Many are unaware how problematic negative language and gossip can be until they're identified and defined. Learning about how much power our words have to harm others is the first step in addressing a growing problem. Becoming more mindful about our words is really just a positive step in self-discovery.
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
Change needs to begin within each of us. Who we become and how we change in our own lives is connected to how our relationships, communities and the world will change. To the extent we continue to evolve through eliminating gossip and judgment in our lives, we can make a commensurate difference in the lives of others.
When we clean up our speech, we clean up our lives. A sense of control is embraced, self-respect is enhanced, and respect from others is earned.
Please join us in making a positive healthy difference! Together, we can make the world a better more unified place - one kinder word, one less judgment at a time...
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