Spilt

Yesterday morning I managed to knock over my bedside glass of water as, half asleep still, I flailed wildly in the direction of my alarm clock in a vain attempt to switch it off. There was only a small amount of water in the glass, and I didn't spill it all, but I still somehow managed to soak half the bedroom - or so it seemed. Why is it that, when you spill something, there's always ten times more over the table or the floor than there ever was in the container?

But there's a lesson there, over and above the obvious one, about positioning my glass of water more carefully so that this DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN! Often quite small decisions, mistakes, over-hasty remarks can have consequences far beyond what one might expect. A small fib or a manufactured excuse, once let loose in the world, can end up costing you half the earth as you strive to maintain the fiction. A little thought, a modicum of honest caution, a little more readiness to take the blame there and then rather than try and weasel out of things, and the world could be a far better and more peaceful place than it is.

I can't remember who it was who first said it - "When anger rises within you, take a moment to think of the consequences" - but whoever it was, those are wise words we could all do with heeding at some time or another.