Wisdom story: What can a hammer and some nails teach you about anger

Once upon a time, in a quiet little village, there was a young boy named Aryan. Aryan was kind at heart, but he had one big problem, he had a terrible temper. Whenever things didn’t go his way, he would yell, stomp his feet, and say hurtful things to others without thinking. His anger would rise like a storm, and before he knew it, he had already hurt someone’s feelings. His parents, teachers, and friends often told him to be more patient, but Aryan struggled to control himself. One day, after yet another argument with a friend, his father decided to teach him a lesson. His father handed him a small sack filled with nails and a hammer. With a calm voice, he said, “Every time you lose your temper, I want you to take one of these nails and hammer it into the wooden fence in our backyard.” Aryan didn’t understand at first, but he agreed to do as his father asked. That first day was the hardest. He lost his temper 37 times! By the evening, his hands were sore from all the hammering, and the fence was already full of nails. As he looked at his work, he realized something, hammering the nails was tiring, much harder than just keeping his cool. The next day, he tried a little harder to control himself, but he still ended up hammering 25 nails. Over the next few weeks, he slowly began to change. Whenever he felt anger rising inside him, he would take a deep breath and remind himself that he didn’t want to hammer another nail into the fence.

As time went on, he found better ways to handle his emotions. Instead of yelling, he started taking deep breaths. Instead of stomping away in anger, he learned to walk calmly. Instead of saying hurtful words, he paused and chose his words carefully. Day by day, the number of nails he hammered into the fence became fewer and fewer. And then, one morning, something amazing happened, he didn’t lose his temper at all. Excited, he ran to his father and proudly announced, “Dad! I didn’t hammer a single nail today. I didn’t lose my temper!” His father smiled and nodded. “That’s wonderful, my son. Now, let’s try something new. For each day that you manage to stay calm, pull one nail out of the fence.” Aryan eagerly accepted the challenge. Each day he controlled his anger, he carefully removed one nail. Some days were easier than others, but he kept going. Weeks passed, and finally, the day came when all the nails were gone. With great excitement, he ran to tell his father. His father took him by the hand and led him to the fence. He looked at his son and then at the wooden boards. “You’ve done well, Aryan,” he said gently, “but look at the fence. Even though all the nails are gone, what do you see?” Aryan looked closely. The fence was covered in holes, small scars left behind by the nails he had once hammered in. The wood was no longer smooth. His father placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “My son, this is what happens when we lose our temper and say hurtful words. Every time we get angry and say something unkind, it leaves a mark on someone’s heart, just like these holes in the fence. You can say you’re sorry, and people may forgive you, but the scars of those words will always remain.” Aryan felt a lump in his throat as he touched the rough wood. He finally understood what his father was trying to teach him. From that day forward, he promised himself that he would think before he spoke, control his anger, and choose kindness over harshness. And so, Aryan grew up to be a much calmer and wiser boy, knowing that words, like nails, could leave wounds that may never fully heal.