The scourge of pornography

A RECENT report from a Vatican study caught my attention when it said
that in Italy alone some 70% of the boys at ages 15-18 access printed or
online pornographic material. I wonder how it is in the Philippines.

With these dirty materials now readily available in the internet, what
with all those pop-ups that just appear on screen anytime, I wonder how many
of our young, not to mention, the old ones also, are corrupted by
pornography.

This phenomenon is not really a surprise, since we know that the kids
are the frequent users of television and the internet, and thus most
vulnerable to the threat of pornography.

There is definitely a need to more effectively supervise and regulate
the use of these means of communication, since they can easily turn into
instruments of corruption to the young and to people in general.

There is a need to form people in general to be responsible citizens
able to exercise self-control and mature judgment. This will take a lot of
effort, but there is no other way but to undertake such program of education.

As one Church official said, a true pedagogy has to be found involving
the family, the school and society in general, where professionals working
in the field of communication become responsible, and proper ethical codes
established.

This may sound quixotic, but I’m afraid there is no other way to
effectively combat this deadly threat to society.

The bad effects of pornography cannot be questioned anymore. It weakens
the moral fiber of people. It stunts spiritual life. It perverts the
person. It leads people into a world of illusions, of false images and values.

Pornography distorts human relations, since it is based on the
exploitation of persons. It creates anti-social attitudes, erases the moral sense
and obstructs the development of mature relationships among the people.

It is based on selfishness and egoism and leads to an obsessive state
of dependency.

Those who try to soften the evil of pornography by saying it’s just
part of growing up, should be reminded of the moral aspect, and not just look
at the matter from a purely human or biological point of view.

Pornography makes the kids lose their innocence and innate sense of
goodness as it introduces them to a world of dark obsessions with their usual
complicated network of deception and hypocrisy.

I would even say that a good part of the reason why so many people find
it hard to pray, offer sacrifices, and do other spiritual things is the
scourge of pornography.

Pornography has become so common-place that even those living in
relative simplicity in the barrios can already have easy access to it. This is a
very unfortunate development we are witnessing these days.

Why do many young people refuse to grow in maturity, to take on
responsibilities, etc., as are becoming obvious in many places, can be
due to the influence of pornography in their lives.

This is what is happening these days. I get the impression that because
of this corruption due to pornography, many people now exhibit a
know-it-all attitude, or have become skeptical or even cynical in life.

This makes them more prone to other complications in life. Obviously,
not only the personal lives are affected, but also the family,
professional, and even the social and political lives of people are badly affected.

We have to be reminded of our duty to fight pornography wherever it is
found.