{"id":109980,"date":"2018-04-30T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T11:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=109980"},"modified":"2018-04-25T16:06:17","modified_gmt":"2018-04-25T15:06:17","slug":"words-can-save-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2018\/04\/words-can-save-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Words Can Save Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Sufi Story by an Unknown Author<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A group of frogs were walking through a forest. Suddenly, two of them fell into a hole. All the other frogs gathered around the hole and looked down over the edge.<\/p>\n

When they saw how deep it was, they told the unfortunate frogs, “You will never get out of here alive. Don’t even try. Just give up and die.”<\/p>\n

One of the frogs tried a few times in vain to jump out, then gave up and lay on the ground. The other frog kept trying again and again, jumping as hard as he could.<\/p>\n

The crowd of frogs shouted to him, “Stop it! End the pain. You have no hope; you are as good as dead!”<\/p>\n

He jumped even harder and finally jumped out. When he got out, the other frogs asked him, “Why did you continue jumping? Didn’t you hear that we told you to stop?”<\/p>\n

The frog explained, “No, I am hard of hearing. I thought you were encouraging me the whole time!”<\/p>\n

A tongue is not a bone, but it can break bones. It has power over life and death. An encouraging word to those who are in trouble can help save them, whereas a destructive word can take away their hope and make them give up. Let us be careful in what we say and not discourage someone in difficult times.<\/p>\n

__________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Dietrich Fischer (1941-2015) from M\u00fcnsingen, Switzerland, got a Licentiate in Mathematics from the University of Bern 1968 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from New York University 1976. 1986-88 he was a MacArthur Fellow in International Peace and Security at Princeton University. He has taught mathematics, computer science, economics and peace studies at various universities and been a consultant to the United Nations. He was co-founder, with Johan Galtung, of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network for Peace, Development and Environment<\/a> in 1993<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Excerpted from Dietrich Fischer’s <\/em>Stories to Inspire You<\/a> – TRANSCEND University Press-TUP<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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