The boy and the bow and arrow.

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There once was a boy, who got very angry very easily.

This was many years ago, not in the time we are living now it was in the time when there were only bow and arrows in that time. 

The father tried to teach his child that it is not good to get so angry so quickly. 

He thought a lot about away to teach his son, that anger is something very ugly.

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One day he got this wonderful plan. He told his son to shoot an arrow into the same tree every time he gets angry. Why the son wanted to know? The father said I will explain to you when the time is right.   

So the boy started shooting an arrow in this tree every time he got angry. 

He was inquisitive to find out why his father was asking him to do this. The first day he must have shot at least 15 arrows in the tree. As the days wore on he started thinking before he got angry, as he had to walk a long distance to go and shoot the arrow. 

This made him become less angry as he did not want to walk so far every day. One day he said to his father, I do not have any more arrows left, what must I do now? 

The father said to his son, now I want you to take an arrow from the tree every time you get angry. 

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The son pulled the first arrow out and there was an ugly hole in the tree. Look how ugly that big hole looks said the boy. Yes my son that is the reason I told you to shoot an arrow in every time you get angry with someone. This is what I wanted to teach you. You hurt people’s feelings when you get angry and even if you try and fix it the mark stays there forever. 

That is the reason I told you to shoot an arrow in. Can you think if you have removed all the arrows how awful the marks will be. That is how the people feel that you were so nasty with. 

So think before you get angry, and realise that you leave a mark there forever. If you change they will forgive you and you will also feel so much better. 

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This is a lesson for all of us; think before you speak as we can be nasty if we talk too quickly. If you wait and realise that maybe you are wrong there won’t be so many people hurt. 

This made the boy think and he became a wonderful boy, and even a better bow and arrow shooter when he was trying to find food for the family. 

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Remember in those days there were not food shops where they could just walk in and buy food, they had to hunt for it.

What did he shoot with?

Why did he shoot into the tree?

What did he learn?

Did he shoot better?

Did he become a nice boy?