Conditional instruction using repeated behavioral pattern.
Once there was a boy with a temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he should hammer a nail into the backyard fence. On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails. Gradually, the number of nails hammered each day decreased, as he found it easier to control his temper than to hammer the nails. One day, the boy no longer lost his patience and told his father about it. His father then said, "From now on, every time you manage to control your temper, pull out one nail." As days passed, the boy eventually told his father that he had pulled out all the nails.
The father took him by the hand to the backyard and said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. This fence will never be the same as it was before. The words you speak in anger are like these nails—they leave scars. If you stab someone with a knife, no matter how many times you say sorry, the wound will always remain. The pain caused by words is as unbearable as physical pain."
People often cause lasting damage to one another due to grudges that cannot be let go. If we can start with ourselves and treat others with tolerance, we will surely see unexpected positive results. By opening a window for others, we are also allowing ourselves to see a more complete sky.
曾有一个脾气暴躁的男孩，他的父亲给了他一袋钉子，并告诉他：每当他发脾气时，就在后院的围栏上钉一颗钉子。第一天，男孩钉下了37根钉子。渐渐地，每天钉下的钉子越来越少，他发现控制情绪比钉钉子要容易得多。直到有一天，这个男孩再也没有发过脾气，他兴奋地告诉了父亲。父亲说：“现在，每当你能控制住脾气时，就从围栏上拔出一根钉子。”日子一天天过去，最终男孩告诉父亲，他已经把所有的钉子都拔光了。
父亲牵着他的手来到后院，轻声说道：“做得好，孩子。但请看一看围栏上的那些洞，它们永远无法恢复原貌了。你发脾气时说的话，就像这些钉子一样，会留下深深的疤痕。就像用刀刺伤别人一样，无论你道歉多少次，伤口依然会永远存在。言语带来的伤害，如同真实的创伤一样，令人难以承受。”
人与人之间常因无法释怀的芥蒂而造成永久的伤害。如果我们能从自身做起，以宽容之心待人，定能收获意想不到的善果。为他人开启一扇窗，亦是在为自己推开一片更广阔的天空。