Should anyone other than a politically correct dweeb, a prime-time-ready talking head, garden-variety prude, holier-than-thou twit, or virtue-signalling chuckle-head want to clean up their potty mouth?
Sure. Because speech is sacred.
Our greatest myths and holy books embody this truth. According to the Egyptians,
"Thoth is the mediator through whom the world is brought into manifestation. He is the Tongue of Rā, the Herald of the Will of Rā, and the Lord of Sacred Speech.”¹
In Genesis 1 of the Holy Bible, God speaks the universe into being. He says, "Let there be light: and there was light." Later in John 1, when speaking of Christ, we hear,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
The ancients revered the ability to recite poetry and holy words. They embodied the idea of sacred speech. Modern people have mostly surrendered in the battle against profane, rude and crude speech. And few are able to recite any beautiful words even if they wanted to.
There was a time when we expected our kids to memorize poems, speeches and scripture. Why? So that they would have command of the words and speech on a fundamental level.
Sacred Words: Training Involution #164
Restriction breeds creativity, not freedom (for more on this topic watch this video). Let's put some restrictions on ourselves and see if it drives our creativity.
Warm up thoroughly, at least 8 minutes.
Hobble yourself. Take a scrap of rope, an old Karate belt, Yoga strap, etc. and hobble yourself such that your ankles cannot get more than a shoulder's width apart.²
Complete a gauntlet. Set a timer for 8 x 2:00. You may do this with hand strikes only or with a practice weapon, your choice (I used my walking stick). Complete this twice: (1) Strikes vs. Heavy Bag (2) Get-ups (3) Sit-ups with two heavy bag strikes at top of each (4) Strikes vs. air while doing Prisoner Get-ups. ³
Cool down for 3 minutes and then hit the showers.
Hold your tongue. Refrain from swearing for one week and see how you feel about it. For extra credit, memorize some pretty words, some poetry, a piece of scripture, etc. Write it down on a scrap of paper, put it in your pocket, and study it every hour or so for a couple of days until you own it. Another way to do it is to make a voice recording on your phone and play it over and over until you can recite along with it. This is good for your brain and for your soul.
¹ Mead, G. R. S, Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. 1, [The Thesophical Publishing Society, London 1906]
² I do several of these sorts of training exercises every month for self-defense practice -- hobbled, one hand tucked into my belt, one eye patched, a rock in my shoe, etc.
³ Prisoner Get-up: Drop to left knee, drop right knee to get on both knees, rise up to right knee only, then stand up. Next time drop right knee first. Alternate sides.