What more can we learn about the nature of one of our most primitive of instincts, that of lust? Clearly, the word has rampaged out of control in this "information age." What are those among us who understand virtuous cleanliness to do under such disgusting and omnipresent features of society? Typical of a people that prizes physical pleasure in all of its manifestations as the highest goal, lust as they know it is a usual hot topic in such a utilitarian worldview. How can we attempt to defy the seemingly concrete opinion of the Western world? What is it that subjects the people to this debasement and why are they so vulnerable to this virus? Listen closely and I shall make an attempt to explain the distortions of the current trends, the tortures of traditional values and how living with purity can help you transcend the ailing masses of conformity.

Each new individual that enters this world is born without any kind of armour from derogatory influences. The responsibility to equip the child with this armour, the teaching of strong, foundational values, ultimately belongs with the parents. The circumstances of the child's life will largely depend on his upbringing. Now, enter the twenty-first century, and parenthood has gone out of fashion in this distorted world of DVDs, daycares, cosmetics and the arts of "staying young." Few parents, and this number will only grow smaller, few parents adhere to any traditional code of values that the sons and daughters of society need to become contributing members of their community, but they are also required for a fortified foundation that will lead to a boy's becoming a man, and a girl becoming a woman.

What are the ramifications of a lineage that only grows weaker in its bonds between generations? What happens when the family forgets where they come from? Well, due the lack of that foundational upbringing, which teaches the children the essential meanings of family and tradition, these are born into an exploitive world and without the needed armour of values; they are all the more susceptible to the talons of a crooked society. Starting at a frightening low age, our children are persistently assaulted by the mass medias, and they become quickly acquainted and familiar with these beguiling devices of "entertainment." Those who are drawn to the screen and thus form a connection with the media, and if they do not have a strong foundation of good values balancing out the symbols on TV and in the magazines, these will become, essentially, "brainwashed"; that is, their ability to filter out the garbage and retain the truths (extremely limited in mainstream media) will be worthless.

The fact that the human mind is so easily influenced, especially at a young age, is readily apparent. However, the media and its associates exploit the most malleable parts of man: his material wants, and it is lust in particular that I shall refer to. Due to this inherent venality, and, again, if it is not combated by stronger values, man is easily coerced into conformity by the shrewd media, which can cunningly pick out the most alluring pleasures available and make them "popular"; the media then goes on to promise the consumer "happiness" if he buys their endorsed products, or if he behaves like the characters on "Friends." The media knows what the average modern man wants; the amount of unwarranted skin seen on television and in the magazines is an honest example of this. Following this observation, it is clear that more and more filth is being put out there for the masses to try and satiate their happy hunger for everything and anything on sale. It is an endless and futile quest, of course, as these kind of people go until the ends of their lives buying products that will do nothing for them beyond immediate gratification.

Lust, in the shapes of lewd smiles and crooked stares, lets the people feed off of the people. Fashion dictates that less is more, and so the horde eagerly complies, trading flowered dress for a mini-skirt, selling culture for currency. Experience teaches us that higher values, which actually take some effort to attain, especially today, are obscured by the oppressive mist of materialistic pleasures that corrupted society continues to wave in our metaphorical face.

Now, before your rising cries of "puritan!" completely drown my voice, let us discuss the effect the automatic medias (not wishing to exclude radio, newsprint, mainstream internet) is having on modern society. The regression of the people is at a leisurely and sluggish rate because of the slow decrease in media content, again with our established parallel. We see the slow breakdown of the family unit, for instance. One reason for this shall I now address. Due to the potentially devastating power a divorce may have on a familial relationship, it is obviously a detriment to not only the family, but also the community as a whole, if only in an eventual circumstance. But how are these divorces (nearly 50% (!) of them fail in the first fifteen years) related to this universal promiscuity?

In our high schools, where administrations are often found masturbating to such images as "liberty" and "equality," where condoms are sold in vending machines, I observe a frightening deluge of, hmm, "extracurricular activities." Due to the lack of values taught to the children, a fault of our parenting, not to mention the filth seen/heard/read in the all-too-available media, these teenagers see little reason not to have a good fuck every other weekend (I am afraid that I do not exaggerate much here). Thanks to this rampant faithlessness, these kids will have a much greater difficulty in finding someone that they will be with for the rest of their life. The results? Broken marriages, which mean broken relationships between the parents, and between their kids, who lose that essential blood union with their natural guardians, and are thus even more susceptible to the diseased "culture" they have to grow up in. It is a cycle of seeming immortality.

Or is it? Can we break the cycle? And is this lust that the vile media exploits without guilt evil in itself? I certainly do not think so, bypassing the first questions for now. Just like every human expression and instinct has its place, so too does lust have its own part to play. However, instead of the misguided, animalistic longings that are consummated in empty physical stimulations, lust should, ideally, be reserved for the wedding night, or at least for that joyous moment of love's zenith, where the couple comes together in genuinely mutual passion for one another, just as willing to please their beloved (maybe even more so) as themselves. After all of the testing trials prior to this holy matrimony of souls, the union will exceed the pleasures of the flesh a hundred, a thousand times over. This synthesis of human spirits in the wonder of love will, if the relationship remains faithful and maintained accordingly, prevail in existence until death, and perhaps beyond, if you want to be so romantic as to go that far.

Instead of this grand idealism, modern society seems to commonly regard marriage as a pact of enslavement, and the bride is usually referred to as the "master" over the former bachelor. (This is another sign of an effeminate prevalence in society, but that is not for this particular article.) I now dare to point out the easy distractions the present trends offer, be they spirit-draining careers or extensive entertainments, are a direct cause of this current societal axiom. Because typical members of the city are not strong enough to persist for something worthwhile (why seek love when there are nightclubs and free pornographies?), they fail in any kind of lengthy relationships. This is often because their initial choices were based almost singularly on physical attraction, and often because they lose interest in the same face after a time, and it usually is not a very long one (finished with him or her, or whatever it was; onward to something new!). The inability of couples to spend quality time together is also something to consider in this respect, as well as the observation that the split happens with, most likely, little to no heartbreak. What is this? Well, it is certainly not love, the determined quest for something, someone true and real to help fulfill one's existence. Simply put, this is lust in its most animal of impersonations.

So, to return to an earlier question, at last, can we break the cycle? Undoubtedly the lonely individual is helpless in and of himself. However, by acting according to strong values of tradition, and by maintaining an active search for someone meaningful to you, you can lead by example. If you live a demonstrably joyful life, others will take notice and they will surely desire what you have. Once those around you are affected by your strong advice and personal example, each will become a sort of proxy idealist, and he or she will make a similar impression on others. This is how reform is made successful, and all it requires is an enduring grip on your own pragmatism and the will to make change. If more people were to realize the principles of desecration found within this system that sells sex, and makes a travesty of love with "romantic comedies," the system would no longer resort to such atrocities, as they would no longer sell en masse. And so, my friends, have the good presence of mind to prudently choose someone that you know will love you for the rest of your mortal life, and teach to your children the values that have become lost wisdom in this delusional age. And, finally, fulfill that lust in a way that means something to two people and two people alone: you and your forever cherished.

March 13, 2008