I wish it wasn\u2019t true, but the fact is that \u201cdeath\u201d has occupied my mind a lot recently. I\u2019m trying my best to deal with things, take a realistic view and try to accept that it\u2019s inevitable and part of \u2018life.\u201d
I\u2019ve read a lot about it lately and some sociologists believe that we create a lot of euphemisms for death because we\u2019d rather avoid the subject all together \u2014 and \u2014 the substitute \u201clabels\u201d help mask our discomfort. According to the theory, people are apparently more comfortable \u201ckicking the bucket\u201d than just dying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found two possible origins of \u201ckick the bucket\u201d \u2014 as you might expect, both are kind of morbid.
One involves the slaughter of pigs. In the days of yore, a pig was hung by its heels from a wooden beam, after its throat was slit, allowing the blood to drain out. This beam was for some reason, called a \u201cbucket.\u201d Maybe because the pigs were hoisted by means of a pulley system similar to that on an old-fashioned well, but I\u2019m not sure. In the throes of death, the pig\u2019s heels would sometimes knock against the wood. Butchers of the time would often hear the sound of the hog kicking the \u201cbucket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another possibility comes from the act of suicide by hanging. In order to do that, a person must stand on something, secure the noose around their neck and either step down or kick the support away. The theory is that a bucket is something small and easy to stand on. That seems like a more logical explanation to me, except that \u201ckicking the bucket\u201d doesn\u2019t only refer to suicide \u2014 it\u2019s used to describe any kind of death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Either way, death isn\u2019t a pleasant experience, and so the use of euphemisms to describe it may be appropriate or at least easier to talk about \u2014 like, buying the farm, pushing up daisies, going into the fertilizer business, taking a dirt nap, etc\u2026.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I wish it wasn\u2019t true, but the fact is that \u201cdeath\u201d has occupied my mind a lot recently. I\u2019m trying my best to deal with things, take a realistic view and try to accept that it\u2019s inevitable and part of … Continue reading