Of languages and profanities

I was recently listening to the audiobook version of David Goggins’s Can’t Hurt Me. It’s intense, gripping, and deeply motivational — the kind of story that pulls you in and makes you think about your own limits.

At one point early on, I thought, Maybe I should get my son to read this. It’s such a powerful account of resilience and mental toughness. Something every young person could benefit from, right?

But as I kept listening, something gave me pause — the language and in particular, the swearing.

The profanity in the book is… well, pretty frequent. Words like “Mot***rFu**er” and “F**king” show up often, especially in the later chapters. And while I can handle it personally, it made me uncomfortable with the idea of handing this to my teenage son. He’s no stranger to strong language — I’m sure he’s heard and even used a few choice words with friends — but giving him a book that’s filled with them feels different. It feels like I’d be endorsing it.

Later in the book, both Goggins and his co-narrator (and ghostwriter of the book), Adam Skolnick, talk about this very thing. Goggins says he doesn’t swear much in daily life. But when he talks about his life and what he’s been through, the pain, the rage, the fire — those words come out because nothing else quite captures it.

That gave me something to reflect on.

Language, after all, is more than just words. It’s emotion. It’s memory. It’s intensity. And sometimes, in the rawest moments, we reach for the language that matches that rawness. Not to shock, but to feel — and to help others feel it too.

There’s a difference between using language to express something honestly and using it to insult or tear down. And I think that’s an important distinction — especially when we judge what’s “appropriate.” Meanings evolve, and contexts shift. Words that once shocked now feel more layered, even empathetic - like "twat" and "poor fu**er".

Still, despite understanding where Goggins is coming from, I’m not ready to hand the book over to my son just yet. Maybe later, when he’s older, or when we can read it together and talk about it. For now, I’m holding off.

Just food for thought..