Purity

purity We all have a finite amount of purity—innocence lost. Every time we are intimate we give some away. Like the force George Lucas shows us in the Star Wars universe, our actions effect who we are. We do something good, we shift ever so slightly to the light. And the reverse is also true. Whether it is Anakin slaying a village of sand people or going too far on a first date, our actions have consequences.

Purity, I perceive is like an energy we possess. We can build up and store that energy—or we can spend it. Like stamina, it diminishes with exertion. Like the tides it wanes and ebbs. Our actions effect it. Some have more purity than others, like all things. Some are gifted with intelligence, beauty, wit, charm, and athelete’s drive and body; some not so blessed.

I believe we all have the ability to perceive this energy. Some people you trust immediately, yet with others you feel apprehension. The innocence of a newborn is tangible. It elicits immediate feelings in the observer of compassion, love and you just want to come up and look, even at a stranger’s newborn. In the grocery store, you’d walk up and speak to someone you’d never consider otherwise, “What a beautiful baby”, you say, your heart full of emotion. Walk down an aisle in Toys R Us and you’ll see what I mean. You smile at parents, at their kids. I think this all a subconscious reaction to how we communicate, relative to this sense of purity.

What happens when you have a casual intimate relationship? Many teens today see sexual encounters as matter of fact. I suggest that when you are intimate, you give away, you spend this energy, you lose purity. And it can really do you harm. Not harm, as in sexually transmitted disease, but harm you might not even consider.

When you have a casual encounter, you give away some of this energy. It takes time and actions to recharge.

There are many theories about attraction. Many tell us that subconsciously, as we meet someone, we find likes and dislikes, pair positives to negatives and seek opposites to fill the voids in our lives. Where you are weak, your partner is strong and vice versa; you each provide what the other is lacking. This results in a powerful connection; a couple who need each other, and are stronger, greater than the sum of their parts.

abstinence In modern day society this notion of purity is never factors in. I suggest that when in any relationship, we give away or spend this energy—which is of a finite quantity. When you spend some, are you less likely to find, to attract or be attracted to someone who might be a more perfect match? Will you miss out on the love of your life, because that potential partner just didn’t sense that purity?

We are taught to be sexual. Media, movie, tv, magazines, romance novels and talk shows, we’re sold that we need to be sexy, young and vibrant. Alas, the world seduces away your purity, your innocence. This world will surely think this concept of an energy which defines us and communicates who we are, is silly. Not quantifiable or measurable, many will assert this is just a fantasy or an attempt to shove morals at you. Can a soul be measured? Yet, are we not animated with an essence of life that causes us to think, to feel, to be? So too, our life force possesses a quality I call purity. When we spend it foolishly or squander it with little regard, who do we become? It can be a blessing when we find someone to share our lives with.

As we read the headlines and hear stories of teens becoming pregnant, abortions and abuse, I have to wonder what harm we each cause ourselves. Are we robbing our future for the present?

Campaigns that talk about abstinence seem ridiculous in this day and age. If we truly have a limited amount of purity, though, where would you choose to spend it? Live saving up for something worthwhile, we can choose to be excellent; to wait for something, to earn something precious. As you see the effects of people around you, I ask you to try and see how loss of this purity works in the lives of those you are close to.

It seems a noble cause to save yourself for that one true love. Many, bitter with disappointment say there’s no such thing. A self-fulfilling prophecy perhaps. Are you worthy of life, love and happiness?