If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?
If I could permanently ban one word from general usage,
it would be—
“SHOULD.”
.
Yes.
That tiny, overconfident, unsolicited life-advisor of a word.
.
“You SHOULD do this.”
“You SHOULD be like that.”
“You SHOULD have settled by now.”
“You SHOULD behave like an adult.”
.
Excuse me?
I can’t even decide what to eat without scrolling food reels for 20 minutes.
Please calm down.
.
“Should” is basically society’s way of saying:
“We don’t know your life, your brain, your dreams, your trauma,
but we’ll still tell you what to do.”
.
And honestly,
I’ve followed more “shoulds” than Google Maps,
and both have taken me to the wrong place at least once.
.
“Should” carries guilt.
“Should” carries pressure.
“Should” carries expectations that no one asked for
(but are delivered free with every conversation, like tissue paper in restaurants).
.
Imagine a day without “should.”
You’d wake up and think:
“I could… if I want to.”
Now THAT is freedom.
That is peace.
That is therapy without the bill.
.
We women especially hear a lifetime supply of “should”:
You should talk less.
You should smile more.
You should adjust.
You should compromise.
You should dress like this.
You should NOT dress like that.
You should sit like a lady.
You should stand like a lady.
You should breathe like a lady.
.
Arre bhai…
woman hu, WiFi router nahi, jo sabke expectations connect karu.
.
So yes…
If the universe gives me one ban power,
I’m taking should
and sending it on a long, unpaid vacation.
Somewhere far,
where even autocorrect can’t find it.
.
Because life becomes softer, calmer,
and beautifully mine
when I replace “should” with:
.
“I want to.”
“I choose to.”
“I feel like it.”
or
“My peace comes first.”
.
Honestly?
That’s the kind of vocabulary upgrade we all deserve. ✨
—Rajeshwari 🧿💕
(Poem ©Rajeshwari.
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