Thoughts on Profanity

Over at The Buddha Diaries, PeterAtLarge wrote recently about the pervasive use of four-letter words. His observations and his conclusion, which centered on Right Speech, stirred my own thoughts on the casual use of profanity.

I grew up in a household that was free of off-color, abusive, and derogatory language. Outside of the home, of course, things were different. But I learned early on about the appropriateness of language with regard to place and circumstance. I carried that into my adulthood and parenthood. Event though I uttered my own share of profanity at work (in my early adult years it was construction, a very dirty place) I kept it clean at home. I told my children that language they heard and used on the playground was not appropriate at home.

What’s troublesome these days is that with the pervasive – and often vulgar – nature of today’s media, profanity enters the home like flies through a tear in the screen door. If the television is on, if a movie is playing, if popular music is playing, then there is a good chance within a few minutes I’ll hear something that is, to me, objectionable.

I find the gratuitous use of profanity offensive, but more so if children are around. It’s matter of setting a good example. We can’t expect our children to be well behaved if we ourselves aren’t. I know there are those who don’t have such expectations and who have no idea what it means to set a good example and why. And there are those who would argue that street language on television and in movies, literature, and lyrics merely reflects reality. I don’t dispute that. Life is grimy, and grimy language is part of life.

I would, however, dispute an assertion that the free and easy use of profanity is a sign of enlightenment (in a the secular sense). I’d call it an excuse instead.

Whereas my public language is fairly clean, I concede that privately I can still use a little local color – the occasional bit of mud slung in the direction of another driver while on the road, or a harsh epithet slung at myself when I’ve made a mistake while trying to fix something. These days, however, I do strive to remember to offer thoughts of kindness toward myself and others to counter the bad karma of my covert vulgarities.

If Right Speech is truthful, harmonious, pleasant, and meaningful; wrong speech must be anything that is untrue, discordant, unpleasant, and meaningless. The former seems the better practice if for no other reason than to diminish the negative impact profanity has on the mind and therefore those around us.