Turn Away

Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless . . .

 - Psalm 119

Does it get any more relevant than this? I'll bet most people in the Western Hemisphere, have seen almost anything possible, if not anything, by the time they're about 12 years old.

Thanks to the Internet, and thanks even more, to adults that don't care, our youth are more than familiar with every variety of gore, and have also witnessed plenty of hardcore porn, by the time they are in their teens. How can they not?

The adults are another case entirely. We have made it so available to them, and hey, it's "adult" content, right? So let them watch whatever they want to! It's legal, and it's a free country!

Just the other day, I was tantalized by some still images of a movie featuring some young actresses that not long ago were "teen idols" playing wholesome kids on Cable TV. They "grow up", they "move on," but their fans remain, and these pre-teen fans too are tempted to see what their faves are up to now. And of course most parents will let them.

These still shots made me want to view some actual video excerpts from the movie, which featured violence, drug use, random (unprotected) sex, group sex, and plenty of "colorful metaphors."

So I watched, and found that I could not take my eyes away. Yes, I will admit that my primary response was one of disgust. But the images, once planted in your mind, stay there for a long time, maybe forever.

Is this what the "Tree of Knowledge" was all about? There are certain things about the Universe that we, as a race, are not able to process yet. It's that "knowledge without wisdom" paradigm.

The Internet has given us unlimited possibilities to do wonderful things; good things. But we haven't figured out how to tame it yet, and so many of society's ills can be traced back to that reality.

So we need to keep our eyes off of things better left alone. If we can refuse to see what's none of our business, and what's actually harmful for us, then our minds can be left uncluttered to focus on the good things.

And we probably do not have the willpower to turn away on our own. We need help.

So yes, turn my eyes away . . .