Words are like arrows. Once loosed, you cannot call them back....... said George R.R. Martin
Many times in our lives it so happens that the little boneless organ of our body puts us in deep troubles from which we find no way to get out of. Yes, I am talking about the tongue. The power of speech it keeps sometimes becomes the most trouble causing agent for us.
At times we say something harsh out of our bad moods that becomes a reason to break our relationships. At other times, we just say something silly without contemplating on its interpretation. At some other times we say the right things in wrong words.
There are multiple ways how the words of our mouth can be a cause of predicament for us. We are then unable to do anything but to regret for our words. I reminded of a quote of Hazrat Umar Ibn-Al Khattab RA I read written on the wall of a school.
I have never regretted my silence. As for my speech, I have regretted it over and over again.
One such incident happened to me when I revealed a secret out of my innocence and then I had to face the consequences. Actually, I didn’t know it was a secret and should not be revealed. Perhaps, I knew but was not wise enough to understand that the revelation might be problematic for me.
Without further ado, let me share the incident. After my intermediate exams when I was waiting for the admission in the graduate program I decided to teach in a school. Between intermediate and graduation there is a free time of five months is available. I wanted to utilize it in something useful.
Luckily, a few days before the resumption of schools after summer vacations I got a text message from my school teacher. She told me that she was going to resign and thus there was a vacancy in the school. She also guided me about the salary. She said that she was taking 7000 PKR and so I should ask for the amount.
Had she not guided me, I would have agreed on a much lower price. But because I was already aware I was confident about the value. The principal told me that I had no experience and so she finalized me at 6500 PKR. I was fine with it.
There were two other teachers who were freshly hired in the school. I had a conversation with them at two different points. They asked me about my salary, and there I made the mistake of telling them the truth. They also told me about their salaries. One of them was hired at a salary of 4000 Rs. and the other at 4500 Rs.
One day I got a call from the principal's office. I wondered what the reason could be. I didn’t get any instructions like if I should take some notes or books with me. In bafflement, I gathered the books and reached the office.
The thing that was awaiting me there was the principal's rage. I was quite young at that time. A girl of 18 with no experience of any job. I didn’t know how to handle the situation. (Well, if I had an experience I wouldn’t have made such a mistake).
The principal scolded me for disclosing my salary to my colleagues. She said that they have complained that a girl with a degree of intermediate (12th grade) without any prior teaching experience was getting more salary than them who had the degree of graduation. She said that she would decrease my salary too.
Standing in the office, being scolded by a principal who always appreciated me when I was a student of her school, I felt totally helpless. There was nothing I could do to undo the mistake I had made. I felt embarrassed, regretful and horrified simultaneously.
I had nothing to say in my defence. I was in a fix how to respond. I asked her for the pardon and assured her that it wouldn’t happen again but her anger didn’t seem to drop. There was no need for the mistake to repeat for any further consequences. The cat was already out of the bag.
The incident taught me a lesson that the salaries are never to be discussed among colleagues. Moreover, at workplace we need to be prudent in giving our trust. Though it’s a lesson learned the hard way, yet learned well.
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This post is my participation for Hive Learner’s featured contest.
