Parables of Wisdom
The Kind Words Jar
मीठे शब्दों का मर्तबान · મીઠા શબ્દોની બરણી
Marbles can be taken out of a jar. Words cannot be taken back.
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
Riaan's mother starts a jar of marbles in their Singapore flat, one for every kind word. Riaan is sure he can fill it fastest, until one honest remark in his class chat costs more than any marble.
What it teaches Truthful speech Kindness Repair
The opening of the children's telling
Riaan's mother put a big glass jar on the table. Beside it was a bag of shiny marbles. "This is our Kind Words Jar," she said. "When someone says something kind, a marble goes in. When someone says something unkind, a marble comes out."
Riaan put in lots of marbles. He told his little sister Tvisha her drawing was lovely. He told Papa the dal was yummy. Plink, plink, plink went the marbles.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Before you speak, ask whether your words are true, kind, helpful and needed now.
To talk about together
Can you remember a time when true words hurt someone? What could have been said instead?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.