Words spoken…

A man went about the community telling malicious lies about another man. Later, he realized the wrong he had done, and began to feel remorse. He went to the the man and begged his forgiveness, saying he would do anything he could to make amends. The accused told the slanderer, "Take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers to the winds."

The man thought this was a strange request, but it was a simple enough task, and he did it gladly. When he returned to tell the accused that he had done it, the accused ,man said, "Now, go and gather the feathers. Because you can no more make amends for the damage your words have done than you can recollect the feathers."

The words spoken once released cannot be stopped from harming their intended target . . . the character and soul of another.