A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'
The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.' What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.' Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
While begging is not allowed in Singapore, I personally feel that the story above is rather inspiring. It is amazing how a change of words can change a whole situation around. In the case of the boy, it improved his means of livelihood, but i relate it to how interpersonal conflicts can be avoided with the tactful use of words. More often than not, people just are not receptive to criticism, however true it may be. Hence it is prudent for us to be more subtle in pointing out the flaws of the other party. Instead of criticising them outright, we can suggest constructive feedback. This way, they may be more receptive to our suggestions and seek improvements.
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