Is viewing porn dangerous?
Question
Hey there. I'm a 21 y.o student who has got into the habit of viewing porn from the past 2 years. The first thing I do on getting up in the morning is watch porn and masturbate. Of late this has become an obsession. Earlier I used to watch porn but was not this desperate. Is it normal ?
Answer
Hello K, You will have heard of drug or alcoholic addiction. It's a state, where the addict goes on indulging in consuming the above in spite of knowing that they are bad and cause irreversible damage to his very being.
Addiction to sex is many times more damaging in totality, for it ensnares the very life energy of a person into sating it and creates powerful karmic tendencies which are very, very tough to get rid of. It's akin to a flame which takes birth on firewood, makes use of it to grow into a raging fire and finally burns this very firewood to ashes. And after the wood is burnt and the flame gone, it leaves dark burn marks on the surface that are almost impossible to get rid of. Why? Because the very surface on which the wood burnt also got scorched, burnt and scarred.
Viewing of porn can be compared to this flame. It starts with fun and excitement and before the person knows whats happening, he finds his mind coming back to it all the time so much that soon he wouldn't mind being without food and water but sitting glued to porn on the net becomes his chief full time occupation. With every image he views, this fire grows larger and consumes more firewood which in this case is he himself at the mental, physical and psychic level. Finally the flame reaches a state where he is burnt into a degenerate who knows the cause of his anguish but can do little.
Stop porn. Install filters on your computer to block it. Develop a mental resolve to become healthy and bright. A man who indulges in porn/sexuality can never be truly bright and cheerful like a clear morning with birds chirping, the sun rising and fresh nectar like breeze blowing!
Shift your mind to intellectual, worthwhile pursuits. When you feel the need for a change, play a sport, explore nature, feel the beauty of creation. Remember how you were when you were a little kid. You never needed anything external to make you happy. You knew the art of taking pleasure from the very simple things of life. You used to laugh till you could do so no more! :-) That was happiness.. Isn't it? You can become like that once again! The first step is to put your mind on things other than porn and sexuality... Once you achieve this, the next steps for further growth will dawn one after the other. Revert to me for anything more you need in this quest.
God bless and have a nice day
Dhananjay