An elderly illiterate carpenter received some mail and he was very upset about it. A letter was a very unusual thing in his life and he was worried about what might be in it. So he hurried over to the butcher shop and the rough-voiced muscle man behind the counter read it aloud.
“This is a letter from your son,” he growled, “and it says: ‘Dear Dad, l am sick and haven’t a single cent. Send me some money quick. Your son Bill.” Influenced by the harsh tones of the reader, the carpenter became red with rage and exploded, “Who does that kid think he is, telling me what to do? I won’t give him a cent.”
In a fit of anger, the carpenter walked back home. But along the way he met his friend the soft-spoken tailor. He stopped him and confided, “I want you to see this letter my boy sent me.” The tailor took the letter and read it aloud in his usual calm and cultured way.
Suddenly the message sounded different to the carpenter. It came across as appealing and plaintive. It left the carpenter deeply saddened. “Poor Bill,” he said with worry in his voice. “He’s in bad shape. I’d better send him some cash — fast.” So off he went to wire some money to his son.
The message can often depend on the medium! Quite often troubles can be traced to the way a particular message was delivered. The same message can cause diametrically opposite reactions. How strange!
Indian Thoughts Archives
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