Porn and guilt, physical and social conditioning || Acharya Prashant, with youth (2013)

Speaker: Rohit is asking, ‘What is it about pornography and various other kinds of expressions of suppression?’ Why is there so much in our lives that we hide, that is done behind closed doors hidden from someone, and yet we all know that it is a norm that everyone engages in all these activities?

It is not only about pornography. There is so much hypocrisy within us and around us where we indulge in particular kind of behaviours, and we all know that not only do we but most people around us indulge in these kinds of behaviours and practices and it is prohibited to talk about them. Two questions arise from here:

First: From where do these things come?

Second: How have these diseases become the norm?

Understand this.

Every child is taught to speak the truth, every child is taught to respect others, to not to be violent, to be a loving individual and many other things. He is told that if you speak the truth it is virtuous, and if you lie then there is something wrong with you. The notions of heaven and hell, right and wrong, moral and immoral are deeply drilled down into us right since childhood. Obviously, the intention is to have goodness in the world.

But see what does it give us. Every child is told to speak the truth, but the world is full of liars. Every child is told to respect others but the world is full of those who exploit others. Every child is told to be non-violent, and we have rape and murders and loot all around.