"Almost, " came the response. "You just have to do one more thing. Go and gather all the feathers."
"But that's impossible, " the man protested. "The wind has already scattered them."
"Precisely, " the rabbi answered. "And although you truly wish to correct the evil you have done, it is as impossible to repair the damage done by your words, as it is to recover the feathers."
Raymond Donavan, President Reagan's first secretary of labour faced similar challenges with rumours and innuendo. Finally acquitted of all charges, he asked the question "where do I go to get my reputation back?"
Words, like feathers, scattered to the wind cannot all be recalled.
- Words that Hurt, Words that Heal.
We focus on our own journey and those who we are speaking with.
In doing so, we form relationships that are emotionally deeper.