F***, S***, C*** and Other “Conversational Seasonings”

Daily Meditation 695–1/22/2024

We’ve got a lot of words I like to call “conversational seasonings.” You know the ones — they’re generally just 4 letters, have harsh intonations, and sometimes when uttered’ll get people’s heads turning and eyes popping.

Well, they used to get these sort of reactions. And perhaps they still do in some places.

“Curses,” as they are called.

When we were children, perhaps our parents let us watch a PG13 movie with them or friends. You’re enjoying it, the actors, the plot…suddenly, amidst some heavy dialogue, the gruff former cop mutters “Shit.” Your parents looked at you with a stern face. Maybe it was the first time you heard it.

Or, your “fun uncle” who had no wife or kids would come over for Christmas. He always had some “colorful” stories and used generous helpings of “conversational seasonings” or other inappropriate stories.

After these kinds of moments, our parents might’ve pulled us aside and told us about these “curse” words. We were informed to not use them as we would get in trouble for it, but actors or our fun uncle weren’t necessarily “allowed,” but did it even though they knew they ought not.