As humans with differences, thoughts, and ideologies, there is no way we won't, at one point or another, wrong ourselves. Yes, it might feel bad, but we should understand that our differences are what bring about such What should be praised is the ability to admit your wrongs, apologize, and look for ways to right them. Just like everyone else, I've, on different occasions, wronged people around me, and today I'll love to share one of those experiences with you.
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A few years ago, I and my friends were having a heated debate related to football and some top stars in the game, and while the conversation was going on, out of overexcitement and willingness to make a valid, painful point, I altered a statement that made one of my friends sad and leave our gathering immediately. I think he was talking about how broke a particular player was, and without thinking, I said, "no matter how broke that player is, he'll never be broke to the point of dropping out of the university".
That statement was a direct insult to my friend, who had to drop out of the university because he and his parents couldn't afford the fee. I had altered it before I realized the gravity of my words; unfortunately, I can't turn back the hand of time. Even our other friends scolded me immediately, letting me know I went too far. I immediately went there to apologize, but he angrily left.
That was the end of the discussion because everyone went their separate ways after that. I also headed home but wasn't feeling comfortable at all; I couldn't even sleep through the night. The next morning, I went to his house and pleased him by telling him to please pardon my manners because I didn't really mean what I said. He told me it was fine and that he had forgotten me, though I felt that wasn't true.
In order to have peace of mind, I decided to find a way to help him go to the university again. Since I failed to have peace of mind since I made that statement, it's obvious he had to drop out because the tuition fee at our school was over 85 thousand naira. I asked my dad to please help me find peace with his professor friend at a federal university where the tuition fee was relatively lower, at just about 21 thousand naira.
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Then I asked my friend to choose that university when registering for the post-UTME exam, which he did. Luckily for him, after the exam was done, he got admitted into the new university, all thanks to the help of the professor my dad contacted, and that's how I felt free and excited that now my friend won't have to live with the pain of my words any longer.
Fast forward to the present day; he has now graduated and has a decent job. He could go through the new university because their tuition fee is much lower and more affordable for his parents. With his current status, I know he's excited, and I'm sure he doesn't know how excited I'm too, because had he not graduated, I might have to live with that regret of my statement all my life.
I learned a valuable lesson from that experience that I've come to use as a yardstick before I speak: I learned that our words are powerful and can hurt deeply, even more than any deadly weapon could, so in all, we should try to be kind with our words towards others and, especially, to think deeply before we say anything, because words said in a hurry that are hurtful can't be retracted.
Words they say are like an egg; once broken, it can't be molded back to the state it once was, so we should always think thoroughly before we say anything, and if that were to be out of place, the rate at which we wrong each other via spoken words will reduce drastically.
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