No matter how much one would like to take back a rude comment or a hurtful line, it is simply not possible. And, if your communication is aided by use of a mediated interpersonal communication device, the damage the communication can make can grow beyond measure.
Take, for example, a hypothetical example. A man is talking to his wife and tells her that she has a weird looking chin. The wife gets upset by this. The man, releasing he never should have said that, immediately tells her that he is sorry. She will most likely forgive him, but will, at least for a while, remember the comment whenever she looks in a mirror. But, while the man could not take back the comment, eventually, the memory will fade.
Now, if the same man had said the same thing about his wife in a nationally televised event, the same comment will cause greater damage. Others will ask her or comment on her chin. When she walks in a room, people will stare at her chin. The hurt and the pain will last longer. Once the memory of it starts to fade, however, someone could easily replay the original comment and, like an ice pick, stab her once again with the sudden shock of having to relive the comment.
We need to think before we speak, for our words can live forever.
(note: this is a post from a Communications class that I am taking. The Wife liked it so I reposted here)
