THIS BUDDHIST WOMAN'S RESOLUTION WAS TO QUIT SWEARING - HERE'S WHAT SHE LEARNED

I noticed that swearing could also generate unwholesome states of mind. For example, I might have a mildly averse reaction to someone, but if I started cursing about that person I became more intensely negative about them. If I started thinking of someone in the news as a “fucking idiot,” then I lost a connection to their complexity and humanity. If I characterized someone as an asshole, that left little room to find common ground to resolve conflict. If I believed that I had had a “shitty day,” I was less able to see difficulty as a learning opportunity. I concluded that there was a strong and clear relationship between states of mind and cursing.  -  Sumi Loundon Kim