Swearing, Just Words?

Anger. If you have ever played a competitive sport, or lived a healthy social life, you know that anger is a driving emotion. In my opinion, it is among the most powerful feelings. Whether we admit it or not, there is something satisfying about letting all your anger out. You all know it. That let it all out feeling, just go go go. That powerful feeling of adrenaline surging through your body can make you feel unstoppable. Basically, some way or another, anger has to be released. There are countless ways of blowing off steam. Taking deep breaths, clenching your fists, screaming into a pillow, you name them! As unique as everyone is, there are certain trends in the ways that people deal with anger and the most obvious is swearing.

There are countless “swear words” to choose from. When chosen wisely, they can liven up a conversation, convey strong emotions, and even give the user a sense of power. Honestly, where would Eminem be if all of his songs were rated PG? However, they can also be weapons that you did not ever intend to use. Dealing with irascible people can result in confusing responses that leave people wondering, “WTF just happened?”

You might be in a bad mood for whatever reason and before you know it, words just slip out. When you have a lot of work to do and a friend hits you up, you might say, S**t, can I be alone for one minute? or I’m trying to f**king work. What do you want from me? In the moment, you feel strong, but a minute passes… and another minute. As your response is left on read, you start to feel uneasy. That feeling progresses to a deeper sense of regret and sometimes denial. You start to think, Was that really necessary? It wasn’t completely uncalled for. 

My choice of lifestyle, the non swearing kind, is my choice. Believe me when I say that I am not here to turn you into me. I am not trying to make you speak differently or even “do” anything. I just want you to think. Sometimes, all it takes is to recite one sentence: How would I feel if I were them? That's it. Empathy is what makes an advanced civilization possible. Without empathy, people would only care about themselves and it's pretty obvious that selfish people do not work together very well. Call me cliché, but the only trait that separates us from animals is the ability to work together.


As long as you mentally recite those vital eight words, I don’t care what you say or how you say it. Just say it knowing the full consequences of your words. Long story short, don’t be an animal; have some empathy. I know we can all do it! Give it a shot!

It was really fun writing this piece with my friend, and phenomenal writer, Aidan Truel, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed preparing it (: