OASIS logo
Credit: DH Illustration
‘An injury on the tongue heals the quickest, but an injury caused by a tongue takes the longest time to heal.’ Though this was a good morning forward sent by a family member, it helped me recall the oft repeated quote of my father during my adolescent years. “When gentle words are available, why use harsh words”. Sometimes, we use words as weapons in moments of anger but more often, people use it intentionally to hurt or malign people. The toxicity which we see on social media these days is a case in point. Even in the physical world, we often meet people who choose words as a sling shot to wound others. Here, I would like to share my neighbor’s story - A newly married girl entered her husband’s home with hopes and dreams of a happily ever after life. Little did she know about her mother-in-law’s animosity, who considered her to be an imperfect match for her son. Being a love marriage, the mother-in-law reluctantly welcomed the girl into her household but made no efforts to give her a place in her heart. The bridemade every effort to fit into the family despite the verbal attacks from her mother-in-law.
Instead of retorting to the older women’s jibes, the girl embraced the stance of silence being golden, with a fervent hope that things would improve over time. Soon, she had to move along with her husband to a nearby town, while her mother-in-law continued to stay in the ancestral home. Distance failed to make their hearts grow fonder. Instead, the relationship between these two women soured as days rolled into months but not before crushing the self-esteem and confidence of the young girl. With hopelessness clouding her mind, she began to believe that she was a misfit in this family of high achievers. Harsh words had indeed a left a deep scar on her psyche and the wounds were thankfully noticed by her husband in the nick of time. He took it upon himself to resurrect her self-confidence by nudging her to focus on things she could control and change.
Gentle words can indeed heal a distressed soul as it was evident when I met her recently. She was not only brimming with positiveness but was basking in the glory of her new found success as an online maths tutor. Words can heal, bring love, comfort, and happiness, or save someone’s lives. My neighbour’s story is a perfect example of this.