Since my brother's death, I have become significantly more attuned to the way I, and others, speak.
For example, have you ever thought about the number of times we reference death and suicide on any given day?
"Man, that test was a killer."
"Working with her makes me want to kill myself."
"Another assignment? Just kill me now..."
"This project is going to kill me."
I cringe a little every time someone uses a turn of phrase like the ones I listed above. I wonder why we use death and suicide to describe so many things. It's not that I haven't used them in the past, but I'm very careful about my choice of words these days.
How desensitized have we become to the power of our words that we can talk about death and suicide in such a nonchalant manner?
Interesting... my mother always got upset with us as kids when we would make any reference to death in day-to-day situations like the ones you listed above. Same thing with the word "hate."
ReplyDeleteI have since lost that sensitivity, but this is a good reminder.