Though I have not bothered to examine the details, I am aware of the general story behind the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal. Of course, it's hard not to be aware of sex scandals involving celebrities, politicians, and the elite. After all, barely a week goes by without some high profile player being exposed for some sort of debauchery or other.
I have noticed that the general public tends to love these sorts of stories. It gives them a chance to wag their fingers and scoff in disgust without having to reflect upon their own immodesties and indecencies. Better still, even if they do take a moment to examine their own sexual immoralities, they can easily view them as harmless and trivial when compared to the grand depravities committed by individuals like this Epstein character.
Take pornography for example. Avid porn consumers are likely to condemn Epstein's perversions as immoral, but are likely unwilling to accept that there is anything inherently wrong with their own chosen form of sexual hedonism. They could easily make a case built upon the basis of apples and oranges - that Epstein's crimes and viewing pornography are not even in the same league as far as sin or immorality go. And I suppose they would have a valid point. After all, what Epstein did is illegal and criminal, while viewing most forms of pornography is certainly not.
For many years I had a fairly laissez-faire attitude about pornography. I considered porn to be a private matter - something an adult had the right to indulge in if they chose to do so. In fact, I regarded pornography in the same way I regard alcohol. Something to be consumed in moderation. Something that might even be beneficial if consumed in moderation. In the grand scheme of things, I did not consider pornography to be a big deal. It was, at best, a peccadillo. A minor, trifling fault.
And in the grand scheme of things pornography probably is a peccadillo, but here's the catch - the lust that drives men like Epstein to commit their corruptions and the lust that drives people to sit down before a computer screen and view online porn essentially stem from the same source.
Thus, in the ultra-grand scheme of things, the difference between perverts like Epstein and online porn perverts is only a matter of degree.
And the problem with lust is its fiery nature. The spark in fantasy has a way of escaping and igniting reality. Seen this way, characters like Epstein are nothing more than pornography consumers acting out their fantasies in reality. And isn't that the secret wish of every person who watches porn? The wish that what watch online would somehow play out in reality? That they could find themselves in such circumstances in the real world? Those who claim porn is merely entertainment are deluding themselves. Porn is essentially wish fulfillment. All that separates Epstein from the average mild-mannered porn watcher is the amount of effort exerted to see the lust-fueled wish fulfilled in the real world.
Seen this way, porn consumers are actually little more than Epstein-Lites. Same perverted motivations. One-tenth of the manifestation in physical reality.
And of course there are spiritual aspects to consider, but I won't wade into all of that now.
I have noticed that the general public tends to love these sorts of stories. It gives them a chance to wag their fingers and scoff in disgust without having to reflect upon their own immodesties and indecencies. Better still, even if they do take a moment to examine their own sexual immoralities, they can easily view them as harmless and trivial when compared to the grand depravities committed by individuals like this Epstein character.
Take pornography for example. Avid porn consumers are likely to condemn Epstein's perversions as immoral, but are likely unwilling to accept that there is anything inherently wrong with their own chosen form of sexual hedonism. They could easily make a case built upon the basis of apples and oranges - that Epstein's crimes and viewing pornography are not even in the same league as far as sin or immorality go. And I suppose they would have a valid point. After all, what Epstein did is illegal and criminal, while viewing most forms of pornography is certainly not.
For many years I had a fairly laissez-faire attitude about pornography. I considered porn to be a private matter - something an adult had the right to indulge in if they chose to do so. In fact, I regarded pornography in the same way I regard alcohol. Something to be consumed in moderation. Something that might even be beneficial if consumed in moderation. In the grand scheme of things, I did not consider pornography to be a big deal. It was, at best, a peccadillo. A minor, trifling fault.
And in the grand scheme of things pornography probably is a peccadillo, but here's the catch - the lust that drives men like Epstein to commit their corruptions and the lust that drives people to sit down before a computer screen and view online porn essentially stem from the same source.
Thus, in the ultra-grand scheme of things, the difference between perverts like Epstein and online porn perverts is only a matter of degree.
And the problem with lust is its fiery nature. The spark in fantasy has a way of escaping and igniting reality. Seen this way, characters like Epstein are nothing more than pornography consumers acting out their fantasies in reality. And isn't that the secret wish of every person who watches porn? The wish that what watch online would somehow play out in reality? That they could find themselves in such circumstances in the real world? Those who claim porn is merely entertainment are deluding themselves. Porn is essentially wish fulfillment. All that separates Epstein from the average mild-mannered porn watcher is the amount of effort exerted to see the lust-fueled wish fulfilled in the real world.
Seen this way, porn consumers are actually little more than Epstein-Lites. Same perverted motivations. One-tenth of the manifestation in physical reality.
And of course there are spiritual aspects to consider, but I won't wade into all of that now.
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