“We can be a host to Love or a hostage to the ego”.
Dr. Wayne Dyer
There is no path to happiness; happiness is the path. Further, when we choose that sublime state of being as a way of life, the thoughts we think, which reflects the images and feelings that we hold in our mind must be in harmony with that vision, and clearly profanity does not meet that criteria. Further, not only is this language potentially a precursor to violence, it is laden with connotations of disrespect, which can also lead to undesirable consequences. Now, it might sound as if we are overthinking this a bit, but when put into context with the following, it makes sense.
The goal here, with the help of a village, is to bring some sense of harmony to our inner-city communities, and while curtailing the use of profanity may be too little too late for many, perhaps we can start with our young children. While it appears that this idea seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur, there is nothing wrong with encouraging our young to respect women and children, not to mention themselves, and as small as this endeavor might seem, we have to start somewhere, and here something else to consider. While some people think that hurtful, profanity laden, jokes are funny, it is my sense that those people are in the minority, and simply do not enjoy hearing someone being humiliated in front of an audience. Further, we have so romanticized profanity on daytime television that if a child walks through their living room, after school, and bombarded with profanity-based dialogue, on an allegedly family show; not only does the child receive the message that it is okay to use this language, they also get the impression that it is a cool thing to do.
As we continue this subject, I acknowledge that freedom of speech is one of the things that make this country so great. Additionally, I am not labeling profanity as good or bad; however, I think that it is important to put it in context. As evidenced by the increase in black on black violence, we have a problem and it is my hope that through bringing awareness to this long-standing story, as a race we will see the need to take matters into our own hands in that regard. Further, for the sake of conversation let us say that, not only is profanity an acceptable form of communication, the increase use of this language does not compromise our goal for some sense of harmony in or communities. While I believe that it does; the bigger question is does it help, and I think that can be answered with a resounding no! Therefore, if it does not help with our goal, then why factor it into the mix? Even if we find ways to minimize its’ usage, especially where children are concerned, that would be a plus. However, when it comes to the issue of profanity here is what I believe to be the core issue.
While it is not physically damaging, profanity can be emotionally devastating, especially to children, and if you ever witness the hurt in the eyes a six-year-old being called whatever profanity laced name that comes to the mind of the mother, I think you will agree. Further, although sad to say, this is not a rare occurrence in some of our neighborhood stores. If the child were being hit law enforcement would be called, however if the pain is internal, the child has to suffer in silence. Further, we already have the resources, the stage and media presence, not to mention ideas. Therefore, if we add compassion to the mix, which we all have an abundant supply of; we can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel as it relates to black on black violence, be it physical or emotional, and I hope that those in the position to do so will heed the call. Before we close, I would also like to ask the question, instead of using our media skills and notoriety to uplift and support the greatness of who we are, why is it so important to introduce our children to the darker side of life? For example (and this is just one of many), I am told that the newer version of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, which was clearly a family show, is not only filled with profanity, it depicts a blatant disrespect for their parents and the question is, why was that necessary? At this point, I believe our redeeming quality will come from helping our children learn to respect themselves and others, as well as to identify and come in alignment with their own self-worth.
Finally, while I do not know the author of this little gem below, I ran across it recently and sharing it within this context just felt like the right thing to do, and is entitled The Activities of Christ. We can use the words as an alternative to profanity and reads as follows. “I am now becoming aware of Love, Inner Peace, Joy, Beauty, Abundance, Wisdom, and Freedom. These (feelings) are all within me. They do not come to me, they come through me. They all unfold from within me as the activity of awareness of the unlimited nature of my being.”
As this passage relates to the creation of the safe, friendly; as opposed to the hostile environment, the soothing comfort of this language will pave the way. That said, I encourage you to read this passage slowly, as well as to be consciously aware of the feelings that emanate from the words. That feeling, in its’ truest sense is what living from within is all about, and the question arises, how long will it last? The answer is as long as you allow it.
As we close out this segment, there is a point of clarity that I would like to address. Unlike black on black violence profanity is a shared culture and certainly not unique to the black experience. The difference however, is that there is never an occasion that it is brought into our homes during daytime television. Please join our next discussion as we shine the light on the essential role of awareness in the discovery of all that is.
NAMASTE
