It is said, “When the mouth opens, one's energy scatters.” It's true! Talking a lot can really be exhausting. And so when our parents or teachers earnestly admonish us, instead of being annoyed at their fussing, we should respectfully obey their words. We should realize that they are expending their life-blood and energy to teach us. However, people who exhaust themselves through idle chatter do not deserve our respect. Why not? You might say, “Some people are just talkative because they cannot keep things to themselves. If they do not cause dissension or say mean things, talking should not be a big offense.” Actually, that is not so. You should know, “When the tongue wags, there is bound to be gossip.” Even if the person did not mean to gossip, his words are spread by word of mouth and float in the air; it is very likely that someone will end up getting upset or hurt, even to the point that a tragedy occurs. How much the worse it is if someone deliberately spreads rumors or speaks profane or false words. Therefore, it is best to avoid talking when possible, and when it is absolutely necessary, speak only the facts and don't ramble on and on. At all costs, avoid exaggerating or embellishing the truth, for “disasters emerge from the mouth.” Such talk hurts others and is unbeneficial to oneself, so why speak it?

In ancient Taiwanese folklore, there is a character named White Thief Seven. How did he get such a name? White Thief is the Taiwanese term meaning a fraud, a lie, or to cheat. He was the seventh son in his family. Orphaned at a young age, he lived with his uncle and aunt. He was both quick-witted and a good talker. No matter whom he met or what the situation was, he was able to tell such a convincing story that he could create something out of nothing and bring the dead back to life. It's too bad that everything he said was a lie, which is how he got his unflattering nickname. We could spend three days and nights telling his malicious deeds that left people not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and we still would not finish. The village people all kept a respectful distance, so as not to become the objects of his jests.

One evening, yet another family that had been the victim of his practical jokes came to complain to the uncle. The uncle was so furious that he locked “White Thief Seven” in the wood shed without dinner. It was very cold at night, and he was only wearing a single layer of clothing. Hungry and cold, he practiced boxing and jogged around the room until he was breathing hard and sweating profusely. At that moment, his aunt, feeling sorry for him, quietly came to take a look at him. She was amazed to see that he was warm to the point steaming. White Thief Seven said, “Auntie, this is a precious shirt I have here, which keeps me warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The gods took pity on me and gave it to me to wear. But don't tell anyone--it's a secret!” The aunt enviously eyed his shirt and offered to trade her own padded jacket with him. White Thief Seven thought for a while, and then took off his shirt with a show of great reluctance, saying, “You have raised me all these years, and now I have really been filial to you!” Then he put on her padded jacket and went into the house for a comfortable snooze, locking the poor aunt in the woodshed to try out his precious shirt. The next morning, the uncle opened the woodshed to find the frail aunt frozen to death. Insane with fury, he yanked White Thief Seven from his cozy nest, shoved him into a burlap sack, tied it shut tightly, and carried it to the river bank, where he threw it into the river. But either his strength was insufficent and he did not throw the sack far enough, or White Thief Seven was fated to live, for the sack was snagged by some branches and did not sink. White Thief Seven loosened the rope, slipped out of the bag, and swam to shore. Dragging the bag, he took the back roads and appeared in the path of his uncle, who was on his way home. The uncle was scared out his wits, thinking it was a ghost. White Thief Seven said, “I sat in the precious bag and went to the Dragon Palace to play for a while. I would still be there now, except that I came back because I missed you!” He went on to describe how magnificent the Dragon Palace was, with its exotic delicacies. The uncle enviously begged, “I'm nearly in the grave, and I've never even seen the Dragon Palace. Can you let me go once?”  With feigned reluctance, White Thief Seven agreed.

They both went to the river bank, and the uncle impatiently jumped into the sack first. White Thief Seven then added a big stone, tied up the bag tightly, and threw the bag into the deep part of the river. Then he went home to enjoy himself on his uncle's family estate. White Thief Seven later did so many wicked deeds that he is said to have been the target of every arrow. He died in a brutal way, and after death his soul probably went to the Unintermittent Hells to eternally suffer having his tongue ripped out and being drenched with urine and excrement. Think it over: Is this not a case of harming others as well as oneself?

Therefore, one should teach children strictly and insist on honesty. Never let them roam through the streets, where they pick up slippery ways of talking and learn the manners of vagabonds. When their minor misdeeds add up to the point that a major crime or major harm is done, it will be impossible to rectify the situation. When you want to discipline children and can no longer do it, not only will the children's lives be ruined, but the family will be broken, and it will be too late for regret.