Class is in session.

I suppose I should be cliche, and give you the dictionary definition of the word. Look into it here: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/class and come back to me when you've finished.

Interesting, huh? No? Well, of course not. Research is never fun. Plus, that's a definition that's all over the map. What we're looking at are noun 12: "excellence; exceptional merit: She's a good performer, but she lacks class," and the adjective form of the word: 26: "Informal . of high quality, integrity, status, or style: class players on a mediocre team." We're here to be described as those players, as our team is the human race. 


Now, please don't confuse this with money, or social class. Class and social class aren't always hand-in-hand. Class is only obtained by going out of your way to do something good for another person. Philanthropy, volunteering, random acts of kindness... that's how to build your class. Keep a smile on your face and only let kind words escape your mouth in a social setting. Trash talk belongs to trash. Take the high road.


This brings me to my first classbreaker: Cursewords.
Coming from a family where curses were part of the common vocabulary, I've struggled with my own use of cursewords. Sitting on a few trains and observing what kind of person speaks in a certain way, I quickly discovered in my late teen years that overusing a curse not only makes its effect less, but it makes the effect of all of your words less. No one will respect a person that continually curses, as it's a true show of classlessness. I've since discovered that if I use almost no curses, when one finally comes out of my mouth people lift their heads. They know it's a big f***ing deal!
On the A train last week, I was peacefully writing in my journal when I overheard a woman talking to a man, and all I could hear was an unhealthy mix of both English and Spanish cursing. Literally, every other word was a curse. I think what she was getting at was that she didn't like a particular person very much, but I couldn't follow her too well... it was like she was speaking in Trash code. It's a shame, because her male friend didn't seem to be paying attention to her, either. I would have asked her if she kissed her momma with that mouth, but she looked like she hadn't kissed anyone in quite some time. Poor woman...

So, your assignment for the week: Delete one curse from your vocabulary. Consciously stop yourself from saying it. Replace it with "darn" or something... You'll seem like you're participating in the 50's craze!