While I have not yet arrived at the grain at why sex and spirituality have often been treated as antagonistic - this may involve something like "spiritual essence," of which I am not totally aware nor convinced - a recent movie and book have given further insight. The book, "JFK:Reckless Youth" by Nigel Hamilton tells of the life of young Jack Kennedy as he matures and eventually becomes president of the US. In it we learn of his individualism, his rebellion against rules, his intelligence concerning foreign affairs, and his courage - all of which are well-documented and believable. His sex life, however: while I am in no way a moralistic or ideological prude on the matter, in matters of the opposite sex, JFK was even more appalling than I have been led to believe. Conquest was always first and foremost in his mind, regardless of the consequences, and regardless of the woman in question. For him, it was stunningly clear that women served as spring boards for his ego, and little else. And while this might be seen as typical of a young man in late adolescence or early adulthood, he carried it on in such a grand fashion and so late into life - until his death - that there can be no excuse.
This forced me to think of my own views on sex. Left untempered, it seems that sex, at least for the male, is inherently egotistic. Without forethought, the sex-ego is glad to liberate one from the deal, "you be loyal to me and I will be loyal to you," by saying, "well, it's ME. Nobody will know the difference. It's just for fun," while ignoring the anger that would be generated in that same ego if his wife/girlfriend did the same. That's NOT you, so it matters! A natural blind spot, and one that underscores the very definition of the entrenched, ignorant ego, detached from even its own personal world.
The movie, of which I saw only bits and pieces, was Michael Douglas's take on Liberace. Again, the ego was in spectacular display, so much so that Liberace had his boyfriend undergo plastic surgery so that he would look more like him. Expanding to the much-publicized life of male homosexuals in general, are the documented tales of men who knowingly had AIDS having sex with many others. These men would not kill someone with a gun or a knife, but they would do so with a known deadly disease for the mere satisfaction of the sexual drive - making it more powerful, in its push towards selfishness, than gold and money. To make it fair and extend the thesis, JFK never had any thought as to spreading his own venereal diseases either - and this, from the man who became responsible for our nation and the future of the world.
And yet - and yet, most of us understand that sex is also the easy gift that allows us to get beyond ourselves and understand the ecstasy, and loving care, of unity. It creates children, who most of us love more than any others. It does not require long years of meditation or dietary restrictions and is available to us all. In this it might be possible to judge an age's spirituality - that is, by how a society, and world at large, if we may do so, not only talks of sex (or not) but also practices it. It would seem to me that in a golden age, sex would be understood by the general population to be what I believe it was meant to be - that is, an easy step towards divine union. In descending ages, we might see it fall towards crass commercialism and personal greed. In some societies present and past (Tantrism in India, certain practices of the Incas) there seem to be (or have been) vestiges of a greater age. In our own, it is neither at its best or worst - but certainly no where near its best. At this juncture, it would probably be best to move beyond "liberation" towards "actualization" of what sex was meant to be - with neither an attitude of prudish celibacy, nor of licence, but with the goal of obtaining what it has best to offer - unity, selflessness, love - all the things we cherish and wish for in our society. FK
This forced me to think of my own views on sex. Left untempered, it seems that sex, at least for the male, is inherently egotistic. Without forethought, the sex-ego is glad to liberate one from the deal, "you be loyal to me and I will be loyal to you," by saying, "well, it's ME. Nobody will know the difference. It's just for fun," while ignoring the anger that would be generated in that same ego if his wife/girlfriend did the same. That's NOT you, so it matters! A natural blind spot, and one that underscores the very definition of the entrenched, ignorant ego, detached from even its own personal world.
The movie, of which I saw only bits and pieces, was Michael Douglas's take on Liberace. Again, the ego was in spectacular display, so much so that Liberace had his boyfriend undergo plastic surgery so that he would look more like him. Expanding to the much-publicized life of male homosexuals in general, are the documented tales of men who knowingly had AIDS having sex with many others. These men would not kill someone with a gun or a knife, but they would do so with a known deadly disease for the mere satisfaction of the sexual drive - making it more powerful, in its push towards selfishness, than gold and money. To make it fair and extend the thesis, JFK never had any thought as to spreading his own venereal diseases either - and this, from the man who became responsible for our nation and the future of the world.
And yet - and yet, most of us understand that sex is also the easy gift that allows us to get beyond ourselves and understand the ecstasy, and loving care, of unity. It creates children, who most of us love more than any others. It does not require long years of meditation or dietary restrictions and is available to us all. In this it might be possible to judge an age's spirituality - that is, by how a society, and world at large, if we may do so, not only talks of sex (or not) but also practices it. It would seem to me that in a golden age, sex would be understood by the general population to be what I believe it was meant to be - that is, an easy step towards divine union. In descending ages, we might see it fall towards crass commercialism and personal greed. In some societies present and past (Tantrism in India, certain practices of the Incas) there seem to be (or have been) vestiges of a greater age. In our own, it is neither at its best or worst - but certainly no where near its best. At this juncture, it would probably be best to move beyond "liberation" towards "actualization" of what sex was meant to be - with neither an attitude of prudish celibacy, nor of licence, but with the goal of obtaining what it has best to offer - unity, selflessness, love - all the things we cherish and wish for in our society. FK
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