Sunday, November 30, 2008

Lust

Lust.

Things having to do with sex and its enjoyment are pretty much my favorite thing to talk and write about.

And wouldn't you know right now I've got some kind of writer's block about it? I have been looking forward to today's post on Lust for over a week. I worked so hard to manage my topics to save the most fun one for last, and here I am with nothing. I even considered spending the day in intense research (ahem), but no. Call it tryptophan let-down, if there can be such a thing. That or an overdose of pumpkin pie, I can't really tell.

Oh what the hell. Let's give it a shot.

A demon satiating his lust in a 13th century manuscript.

Lust is an human emotion characterized by a heightened state of sexual desire or arousal. It is generally used in relation to love, which denotes more of an emotional connection to the partner, whereas lust is generally considered to be largely, or even exclusively physical in nature.

Again, credit here goes to wikipedia. Bless them for the work they save me from having to do myself.

I find the wiki definition interesting. It credits lust with being an emotion, then says that it is "largely or even exclusively physical in nature." Well, which is it? Emotional? Or physical? Is lust emotional, or is it true, as Ann Landers once said, that infatuation (lust) was "one set of glands calling to another"?

Is lust emotion? Or pure physical response to stimulii? I think as humans, we like to forget that we are also mammals. We are still of the animal world. We are not completely removed from many of our animal instincts. If you have any doubt, step into any nightclub anywhere in the world any evening. Watch as the people inside posture and strut in their attempts to attract a mate, if not for life, certainly for the evening. Observe the social pecking order, notice who is in charge and who is not. Notice who seems to get to pick the most attractive mate and who comes next on the list. Notice the subtle challenges and defenses of "territories" within the surroundings. Notice who wins and who loses and notice how the two "alpha" people will usually leave with each other.

Try this in any kind of night club - gay, straight, lesbian, white, black, hispanic, country club or biker bar, any of them. And when you're done, tell me again how much higer evolved we are than the other species that roam the planet.

Lust is not an evil thing unto itself. It is a natural part of our biological makeup and it serves a purpose. It helps to facilitate the propagation of the species, it bring passion and pleasure to our intimacy, it brings excitement to our lovemaking.

When it becomes sinful in my mind is when we let lust blind us to the humanity of our partner or partners. When lust becomes a problem is when it eclipses the needs of those we are with. Not only is it no fun to be with a lover who thinks only of him- or herself, but I would argue that it is unhealthy for all parties involved. It taxes the soul of the person blinded by lust and it reduces the sexual partner to an object and not a human being. Objectification as part of sex play is one thing, but the true interal dehumanization of one's partner can never be a good thing.

I don't know. I really can't work up a head of steam today. I desperately want to write something passionate and clever and witty about and in defense of lust, but I just haven't got the sand. Not today. Perhaps another day.

Before I started writing this entry, I had logged some 28,400 words in this NaBloPoMo thing. I have tackeled some pretty heavy-duty topics and taken some fun pictures of my work and my little dog. I feel bad going out with this kind of pathetic whimper, but it's all I've got today. Let's see what I can come up with tomorrow.

7 comments:

Bull said...

Pathetic whimper? What are you talking about? It's better than whatever I'm going to finish off with.

First, thanks for all the interesting and thought-provoking words this month. Although NaBloPoMo has helped me loosen up my mind and get words from brain to keyboard more quickly, you show me that I still have a way to go. Great writing, really.

Second, I think you hit the nail on the head as far as lust is concerned. What gets me about lust is the strange dichotomy with which this country approaches it. You've got to be 18 to look at a porno mag, rent a movie, go to a strip club (assuming no alcohol is served), etc etc - we put age restrictions in place to make sure young people aren't exposed to sexually explicit material, because it would be bad for them. But we have no problem prematurely "sexualizing" our youth with clothes, toys, TV shows, magazines, etc etc.

A Spot of T said...

A pathetic whimper? No. I don't think so. Lust, in any form, is great. Well to me anyway. But what do I know. Ending 30 days on Lust is, well, nice. Congrats on NaBloPoMo! I have enjoyed coming over here in November and will continue to do so from now. It's been a real pleasure reading your posts.

MRMacrum said...

If you aren't satisfied, that is all that matters really. But I am of similar mind as Bull and Spot of T - not a pathetic whimper. Good job. All month - good posts. And that is so very tough to do. For me anyway.

I do think though that lust in our society has transcended the traditional meaning. Lust seems to be manipulated into everything by marketers intent on seperating us from our money.

I would like to see you post like this in the future. I know it's tough sometimes. But your blog is one I always enjoy. Just me being selfish I guess. I don't care what a pain in the ass it might be for you, I want what I want.

Geez, how many of the big sins did I just present there I wonder?

Unknown said...

Hello there, my friend. So, I've just been catching up on about 5 weeks-worth of your blog - when life gets really busy, blog reading is one of the first things to go. I wanted to say that I'm so very impressed with all of your November posts - the focus on sins and virtues was good. Nicely done. Hope you are well!

S

Anonymous said...

Pathetic whimper, my ass! You've written some of the most thought provoking posts this month!
I do agree with Crum that lust has been twisted to be a marketing ploy, rather than, well, lust. When ads encourage lusting after a car, then lust has lost it's intense meaning. I'd also like to hear more of your thoughts on this topic.

Carlita said...

Even though I haven't been commenting much, I have really enjoyed your posts this month. Very insightful.

Karen Zipdrive said...

I've been working so hard for the last year I forgot all about lust.
Thank you for the reminder. All I lack now is a willing participant.