02.06.09 Careless Speech Can Finish You Off – Guard Your Mouth (Orig Ng 24)

24. Methylated Spirit Phobia

Nekira stepped out of the beauty salon carrying her adorable baby Rosa whose ears had just been pierced.  And, with the glittering gold studs freshly fixed in her petite ear lobes, the toddler had a sweet girlie look.  What was now left was for the ears to heal, before Nekira could adorn the girl with this and that colour of earrings.  The beautician had advised that methylated spirit should be applied on the ears so that the wounds dry quickly.  

As Nekira drove to the pharmacy, she recalled her phobia for methylated spirit, an encounter that had taught her a lesson which she would never forget.

It had all started when their school received a new Science teacher, Mr. Basudde.  Students liked him as he made the subject so interesting, especially when it came to experiments…mixing up things, cutting things, making things, heating up things… the list was endless.  Nekira could not help but look forward to these science episodes!

One day, however, the experiment focussed on how to use methylated spirit burners to heat water in glass beakers.  But, rather than focus on the experiment, her friend Barbara came up with a weird trick.  She would dip her finger in some methylated spirit and put it in the bare flame, then draw the finger quickly out of the flame.  And apparently, although hard to believe, a cute flame would appear on top of the finger, which she would then blow out without getting burnt.  Wow... that was like magic!  The investigative Nekira attempted once, twice and in no time she was the star of the group.  

A crowd slowly gathered around Nekira, urging her to do the trick again and again, praising her guts.  Soon, this drew the teacher’s attention, who sternly commanded Nekira to stop distracting the class.  However, his instructions fell on deaf ears.  For as soon as he turned his back, Nekira continued.  What she was not aware of though, was that as she repeatedly played with the methylated spirit, the fumes were gradually infusing into her cotton uniform.  Then... the worst thing happened; for this one more time, when she drew her finger out of the fire, her uniform suddenly went up in flames.  And by the time people poured water over her, her chest was terribly burnt.  She was rushed to hospital with severe third-degree burns.  

That had happened twenty years ago, but the lesson was still fresh in her memory: never be careless with fire.  

Carelessness is a disease that plagues many people; especially when it comes to behaviour and to speech in particular, as my friend Stella soon found out.  She had called me crying over the phone, suggesting that we meet at Steers for an ice cream and a chat as she had a very pressing issue to discuss.  But from the tone of her voice, it was obvious that she needed urgent intervention.  So, being a faithful friend, I disrupted my baking and rushed off to Steers.  There was Stella seated in a strategic corner where interruption would be minimal.  We hugged and no sooner had I ordered my ice cream than she narrated her ordeal.

Apparently, her boss, a young handsome but very irritating man had got on her nerves when he started alleging that Stella was not performing.  And since Stella knew where all this was coming from, she had screamed back at the boss, ordering him out of her office.  Although the boss had left the office, she had received a very bad warning letter from the CEO, blaming her of insubordination, and threatening that she would not be confirmed in her new job.  

As I listened to Stella intently, it was clear that she had been overtaken with her emotions during that incident, and had been careless when responding to her boss.

After the usual “sorry, dear”, I felt that it was important to be very straight with her.  I warned her that sometimes we overlook the consequences of our words in the ‘heat of the moment’, resulting in self-inflicted penalties.  

I added that ‘opening our mouths and spilling out things without even sieving them’ was like playing with fire; and that it could eventually burn us.  

I reminded her that professionals are expected to have self-control, advising that next time she deals with customers (her boss and others), she must remember to rule over her tongue.  “The tongue”, I added, “is one of those organs that we are duty bound to control”. 

“Joy, was that not too harsh?”, you may ask.  Probably; but we all need friends who can speak truths into our lives rather than flattery.  As someone wrote, ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend!’  

At the end of our chat, Stella wiped a tear as she said “Joy, I will give it a try”.  Then, I smiled reassuringly, “I am counting on you..!”  Then we departed.