The other day I was with one of my adult instructors and a teenage helper outside of the studio. In having a conversation I let a swear pop out and instantly looked at my student and said, “I’m sorry.” He responded with “it’s OK, I’ve heard it all before,” to which I responded with “it still does not make it right.” So I want to explore if it really is OK or not.
One argument is that words only have power when we give them power. If someone dropped an F bomb and we choose to not acknowledge it as meaningful than the word has lost its power. However, so often swears are used as filler words that when someone goes “f*ck’n...” instead of saying um or like, not only has the word lost any power but also any meaning at all. Which then turns this conversation away from whether it is OK to swear to whether it is OK to use lazy language.
In either situation I do not believe that swearing or using lazy language is appropriate with your students. First off you should always keep it G rated with your students 10 years old or younger. But even with your preteens, teenagers and adults you want to set the best example you can. That means in every aspect of your life in and outside of martial arts. If you can speak clearly and with a purpose then your students will have something to look up to and work towards.
I believe as a teacher in the martial arts, that I have the privilege of holding my students to a high standard that they might not be held to outside of my school. I believe that I am training the future leaders of tomorrow and whether my student stays with martial arts the rest of their life or not, I hope that all of the lessons that they’ve learned from me can be used in helping them reach their future goals. So that’s why I do not swear in front of my students and work towards not using lazy language even just around my friends.
Thank You, Big Cat