No Swearing allowed: A life without cursing

Not from these lips

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I don’t swear. Ever. I don’t know if I can.

Well, I have sworn, maybe twice.

Weird, I know.

Hit where it hurts

When I was twelve years old I was getting changed following a PE lesson. As I struggled to get back into my shirt, having learnt it was quicker not to undo all the buttons, I felt a large, unwelcome, fist slam between my legs. I gasped in pain and sat down for a moment to recover. I couldn’t even gather the breath to ask why I’d been hit for a few seconds. When I could I received the response, “To see if you’d swear.” I hadn’t. A lifetime of habit meant even in sudden and extreme pain I chose not to swear.

Research demonstrates that swearing relieves stress. People can handle more pain when they swear in response to it. Swearing can be really helpful. I simply choose not to. I don’t mind other people swearing unless it is excessive or in front of children. Personally, I think those are reasonable boundaries.

So why, if I don’t find it offensive, do I choose not to swear?

There are, I think, two main reasons.

Reason One: Doing the right thing