A Nevispages weekly feature by Curtis Morton Sr
The way I see it, we sometimes make some awkward statements. Some which can come back to haunt us, later on in life.
I have learnt that there are four things you cannot get back:
The stone, after it is thrown
The occasion, after it is missed
The time, after it is gone
The word, after it is said
That is why, we have to think long and carefully before we utter a word.
As a matter of fact, the experts conclude that God gave us two ears and one mouth, so that we can LISTEN, more than we talk. The experts also indicate that women speak a lot more words than men in a day. They claim that women use an average of 20,000 words in a day, compared to a mere average of 7,000 for men. It augers well for us men, to learn to listen to our women.
Well I newa!
So, this week, I listened to the utterings of a neighbour of mine and that is what got me looking back into my memory bank. I remember many moons ago, as a young Public Health Inspector, stationed in Gingerland, that a gentleman came to me with a complaint. He stood outside my office door and started with one racket. The folks all the way in Montserrat may have heard him and all! I sat in my chair and I did not say a word.
By that time, he had already attracted the attention of all of the Nurses on duty and the persons at the nearby clinic. When he would have ranted for about three minutes or so, he realized that I had not said anything and he blurted out: “But you aint saying anything!’
I then responded: ‘Where are you? You sound like you are somewhere up on the roof. When you come down, then we can talk.” He said: “Boy, you are something else.”
He then proceeded to repeat his complaint, in a much more dignified manner and I listened intently. Amazingly, he was complaining about his neighbour throwing garbage on his property, but when I told him that when I am doing the investigation, I would also have to check his premises, he withdrew the complaint.
I later discovered that he did not even have a toilet on his property!
Then there was that day that I was shopping at Best Buy in Gingerland and one guy was interested in getting some baked chicken. The young lady behind the counter explained to him that there were two halves of the chicken available. He said: “Give me the bigger half!”
Then another time, I was at Market Shop buying some bread and another customer was showing interest in getting a raisin roll. The young lady asked him: “What do you want-end or middle?” He responded: “Give me the end in the middle!”
So, back to my neighbour.
He is very hardworking and he drew it to my attention that some limbs from a nearby mango tree, are blocking the light from one of the lamp posts in the area. He said that he was going to cut it. I warned him not to cut it and asked him to contact NEVLEC. He wanted to know why. I explained to him that if the equipment he is using, touches the live electric wire overhead, he could be shocked to death and I referred him to a previous case. His response was instructive: “I will try my best not to touch it!”
Well I newa!
James 3:8
‘But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.’
We also must note that in the final analysis, we will not only be judged by God, for our deeds and misdeeds, but also for our words.
So, let us be careful what we say from hereon. We may well live to regret it.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?