Feathers: The Weight Of Our Words
(A Teaching Fable)

Once upon a time, before the Earth was cooled, there was a student and a master. One day the student approached the master and said, "Master, I am troubled."

"Ah-ha," the master said, "the sign of wisdom. Tell me my son, what troubles you?"

"I fear that I may have brought harm to another, for I gave information that was not asked for. Tell me what I might do to repair the harm done."

"To repair the harm, go you into the barn, where the people of Feathers live," the master said, "and there, with the agreement of the Feather people, collect as many of the smallest, the softest, the whitest, down feathers as were the words spoken that were not asked for. When you have collected this goodly amount, place them in your traveling bag, thank the Feather People for their gift, and return to me for further instructions."

The student did as his master bade him, and gladly so, for he was anxious to repair the harm he had done unto another, needlessly. When he had collected a large number of the down Feathers from the barn, he returned as his master bade him.

"Now," said the master to the student, "take you the bag of soft, white, down Feathers into the market place. Go up and down every street, placing one, and only one, of the down Feathers upon the lintel of every household that you happen to meet. When all is thusly done, when your bag of down Feathers is empty, return to me for the next step of redemption."

Again, the student eagerly went upon his way. After many hours of hard work, he returned to his master.

"Master, I have done as you instructed me. Tell me what the next step is," said the student, eagerly.

"Now you must retrace your steps through the town; and, as you do, you must retrieve each of the Feathers, one at a time, from the lintel of each household," replied the master.

The student, very dismayed, and with a tear in his eyes, said, "But, master! The feathers were very light! Surely many have blown away by now! I will only be able to retrieve a few of the Feathers, at best!"

"So it is with words," replied the master. "Once spoken, they can never again be as they were--unheard. Therefore, I say unto you, guard them well. Remember always that silence is golden. If prudence demands that the silence be broken, let then the sharing be worth more than the broken silence!"