What ##@-@!!**-**!!” –said no one ever
I am amazed at the way everyone speaks these days. There aren’t too many people left who never say a curse word. People don’t realize the power of language. Why has bad language become acceptable? Can’t we say things with passion without using f-bombs and words I don’t even care to type? Why can’t we get our messages across without using them?
My kids will tell you when they were growing up, I didn’t tolerate bad words. “Trash in, trash out.” I would tell them. When I was leading kids at the Y, they all knew I had a bottle of soap on my desk for washing out mouths and I wasn’t afraid to tell them I’d use it! (Though, I never did.). As a child, my mother washed my mouth out with soap on more than one occasion. That could be why I never let a curse word cross my lips today.
But that was back in the 60’s and 70’s. It was a different time. Kids didn’t hear the profanity on TV like they do now. It was a time when men didn’t speak such things in the presence of a lady. It seems that everyone has become desensitized to just about everything. Language is one of the least of our problems.
Maybe it’s because I try to see the good in everything that I want so much for people to realize their worth and potential. We were created for so much more than trash talk. There is a “plethora” of other words in the dictionary we could use. When we limit our words, we limit our actions. We limit the person of worth and value that we have the potential to become.
Your language says a lot about who you are as a person. It relays to other people your values and beliefs. Not only by the words you speak, but also by the way you walk and carry yourself. So let’s talk about how we can improve our language.
*Find other words that we can use instead of the bad ones. Be creative if you want to grab someone’s attention. Be sensitive to others and try not to offend with the words you choose. Open up the dictionary on your desk or your phone and expand your vocabulary. Write down 4 or 5 new words. Memorize their definitions. Use them in conversations. Surprise your friends and family.
*Never take the name of God or Jesus Christ in vain. It’s one thing to offend your friends. It’s totally another to offend God.
*Every time you say a bad word, throw some money in a jar. When you collect enough, dont’ spend it on yourself. Send the proceeds to a worthy organization. (Smile Train or Tourette Association of America comes to mind.)
Finally, don’t spread gossip or bad information about people or things you don’t know the truth about. Everyone has a story and it could be you don’t have the total picture on theirs.
God bless—Barb
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I love this, Barb! I have spoken on a similar vein to many and often jump onto the soap box (hehe)! I speak about how impactful words are. I encourage proper use of words. I ask others to expect dignity from the words used in their presence, especially, in the words used to address them as a person!