Christian Living

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Busy Tongue
© 2010

by

Stephen A. Peterson


Army Private First Class Peter Shelby lay in a field hospital bed recuperating from surgery for a broken leg. He broke the leg playing flag football. While going out for a pass, Private Shelby’s foot was momentarily caught in an unseen hole. The act was so violent causing one of the bones of the leg to break through the skin.

Although Private Shelby was in pain, he maintained his light-hearted humorous personality. He commented how his clumsiness caused him to break his leg.

“Hey, soldier! What’s your name?”

“Private Shelby.”

“My name is Private Compton. How’d you break your leg?”

“Playing flag football and running into Private Hole-In-The Ground. Say what are you in for?”

“Eh! Private Appendix decided to go south on me. So that’s why I ‘m here!”

Private Shelby’s jovial nature led to an informative but humorous exchange between the two soldiers. In the meantime, a third patient was rolled into the room.

“You’ve got it made, Private Shelby! No Squad Sergeants, Platoon Sergeants or First Sergeants to mess with you for a while anyway. You can just lie back for a couple months. Maybe they’ll send you back to the States.”

Just think, you’ll get all of that special attention from the unit,” snickered Private Compton.

“Hey Compton, you’re just jealous! I’m just a special soldier to my unit. That’s because I’m the low man on the totem pole and get to do all of the dirty work. Now I’m the poor sucker that broke his leg. Shoot, I may break it again! Maybe I can get a Purple Heart. Maybe I can run for political office after I get out of Afghanistan.”

The unnamed soldier only remained in the hospital room for about twenty minutes. He never said a word nor did he attempt to be in anyway friendly with Privates Shelby or Compton. Within two days, Private Shelby received a visit from his Platoon Sergeant. The Platoon Sergeant told him, in an angry tone of voice, that it had been reported to him that he (Private Shelby) considered himself a special soldier deserving of extra special treatment from the other members of the Platoon and he was going to try to injure himself again so that he would not have to do any work for a while.

Initially, Private Shelby was too shocked to say anything. But then he realized that the soldier who had been in the same hospital room with him and Private Compton had not been untruthful about what he had actually said. He had only repeated everything he had said but they were completely out of context and repeated in such a way that the meaning was distorted.

What about a conversation you’ve heard in recent days and plan to discuss with an associate or someone in authority? Are you certain you are receiving the correct and accurate message? Will the tone of your voice and information you emit send the true meaning of what you heard? Will you be repeating information that will embarrass or injure someone else? And what is your intent when you pass on insecure information—that is, for good or to intently harm another.

If you cannot pass on information that is for the good of anyone, it is much better it be unsaid.

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