What did he say?

A little boy, almost three years old, was corrected by his parents for saying, “Oh my god!” They explained to him that using the name of God in that manner was neither right nor polite. So, without hesitation, he placed one hand on his cheek and exclaimed, “Oh my weird.”

This is a very funny story. But the history behind the little boy’s first remark is reason for concern. The last generation, or two, or three, has been found to lacking in courtesy. Not only courtesy, but also respect, both in language and action, is hard to find in this present society.

When Rhett Butler’s answer to Scarlett in the movie “Gone with the Wind” was heard in theaters across the nation, a collective expression of surprise followed it. This did not mean that this was a nation of hypocrites. It reflected a sense of courtesy. Certain words and topics were not broached or discussed in public.

Now, this is not a call for censorship or for the morality police to step in and clean up this nation’s media. It is an invitation to this society to stop and step back for a moment to examine how it expresses itself today. This problem should be seen as one of the lack of courtesy, discipline, and education.

There are people who do not talk, nor want to be around those who do, using expletives to emphasize their opinion when in a conversation.

Jesus addressed this question of emphatic expression to give weight to an argument or promise. He told His audience not to add to the authority of their statement by swearing by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or by a person’s reputation. He said, “Just say a simple, ‘Yes I will’, or ‘No I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows something is wrong.”

This is the very point of this distress call to those who would impart their questionable language upon those who would rather not hear it. Be courteous to those who would prefer not to have to explain to a three year old the meaning of what has just been heard. Be disciplined enough to control anger or excitement. Added expletives do not give weight to any position or argument. Finally, if a person is finding their vocabulary to be so limited as to be unable to completely or civilly express themselves, learn some new words.

Maybe, this little boy really did sum up the status of modern interpersonal communication with those three words. “Oh my weird!”