marco@andromeda.UUCP (the wharf rat) (09/26/86)
A recent posting suggesting celibacy as the solution to
the problem has led me to consider the question of what makes man different
from other animals, and what is the role of sex in the life of the
animal that man is. I begin with the following quote from Norman Spinrad's
masterpiece, _Child_of_Fortune_:
"Certain ancient Terrestial cultures held bizzare beliefs concerning
the granting of sexual favors which the modern mind must find
entirely outre'. In these cultures, it was actually held
that amatory pleasures were to be withheld by the female of the
species as a commodity to be traded for a contract of marriage
under which the male of the species was required to provide
economic sustenance"
Certainment, in our enlightened culture, this commercial arrangement
is no longer a motivation for celibacy. Yet there are many reasons
why an otherwise healthy adult human might chose such a life. A celibate
lifestyle frees one of many mundane worries, and frees much energy
that might otherwise be spent in amatory pursuits to be channeled in
other directions. And yet, in an example of that yin-yang balance
that exists even at the most basic levels of our universe, there is
a loss of certain energies, for the sex act can indeed generate as
much or more Kundalinic force as it dissipates. And the celibate
is by his choice denied that transcendent state that two lovers
will occasionally achieve whether by art or accident, that state that
the ancient masters of the Tantra sought for all of their lives.
For is this not the true difference between Man and the rest of the
beasts of Nature ? That he can transcend his physical being, break
the chains that bind him to the dream of Maya, leaving himself and
the world with more than either began with.
For to a truly enlightened man, the act of love is far more
than the mere satisfaction of blind drive it is for the beasts, and
far more than the mere hedonistic pleasure of the less enlightened
of our species. It is in fact a Zen, a path towards higher being,
and one of the few that can be shared with another.
Yet this is but a happy accident of biology, and the flesh will
have its way as often as not; the product of sex is sometimes
enlightenment, and sometimes enlightenment and offspring. Since we
are not ignorant of the medical arts, we can offer ways of preventing
offspring that those seeking to bestow theses gifts of love on each
other might be unable or even unwilling to raise in the manner that all chil-
dren desreve. Yet since we are mere doctors and scientists, not mages and
wizards, our arts will occaisionally fail. Thus the need for a method that
will ensure that there will be no negative results, no bad karma,
from what was performed as an act of love and enlightenment.
Enter abortion. An unpleasant thing for all concerned,
and perhaps as bad karma as bringing unwanted new life into the world.
To me, abortion is very similair to atomic power. Our civilization
is based on plentiful energy, yet if we destroy our world in the
proccess of obtaining that energy civilization will cease to exist
in any event. Fossil fuels are not the answer, neither are damming
all the rivers, or even windmills and solar energy. Atomic power is
a neccesary evil, but it is only a step along the way. In the same
way that mankind has transcended the need to burn wood for power,
he will one day transcend the need to split atoms ! The admitted
evil and danger of the atom is but a step along the path, and neccesary
for the continued existence and growth of our culture. So to with
abortion; it is a neccesary step along the path. For to have a truly
enlightened civilization, the female of the species must be freed from
the chains of biology, just as the world itself must be freed from
dependency on fossil fuels to continue along the upward path that the
human race has walked since it left the trees. Someday soon, atomic
power will be replced by fusion, or some other more perfect means.
Someday soon, the need for abortion will be obviated by advances in the
medical science. But until then, both are needed to allow all of us
to walk our chosen paths in life. Would you deny me my chosen road when
I allow you yours ?
I remain a humble seeker after enlightenment and an
nroff filter for H.P. Laserjets,
the wharf rat
"that path is for your steps alone..."