Degeneracy is a major topic on the right. In times past nearly all of us would be regarded as degenerate. We are people of our age and that means that we have picked up much more than we think we have from the degeneracy that surrounds us.
Hypocrisy is always in fashion and we are as fashionable as anyone. People like to accuse others, sometimes rightly, of degeneracy while forgetting their own part in advancing that cause. We must accept our limitations as well as those of others.
What is the purpose of sex?
Liberalism believes that the purpose of sex is pleasure. Everything to do with sex should be a choice and consequences should not exist. In the West we all live under Liberalism and this view of sex is pushed at every level, in movies, TV programs, advertisement, by schools and universities, by every government and political party. And by our family and friends.
The traditional view of sex is that it is for procreation, making babies.
Biologically, sex is about making babies and it is pleasurable, however both views neglect another important aspect of sex and that is connectedness. In other words love. Sex encourages closeness, physically and emotionally. Intimacy creates more intimacy. Men and women have feelings towards one another, jealousy, longing, protectiveness, confusion.
If this is true, how can prostitution, one night stands or rape exist?
Because we are not simply biological creatures controlled by our urges, we are also emotional creatures who experience more than our physical activities. Finally we are also thinking creatures who rationalise our experiences and desires. What this means is that we can experience a wide ranges of thoughts and emotions regarding our desires. Desires that can be biological, emotional or intellectual, or a combination of these things. Humans are complex and so is human sex.
What does this have to do with Traditionalism?
Traditionalism should be about human nature, about advancing the best attributes of our nature where possible. While never forgetting that we can never attain perfection and therefore we should never seek it. Our limitations are as much a part of our nature as our greatest achievements. We are once and always beautiful and ugly, great and small. high and low. We are never free of our virtues or of our vices.
So when people talk about degeneracy it is always about how these things will not exist when we are in charge. But of course degeneracy will always exist. We can never eliminate what is part of our nature. We can however manage it, even if we sometimes fail. We can certainly stop celebrating it. We can also stop encouraging it. We can also stop pretending that men and women are the same and interchangeable.
We should instead encourage marriage and sex and procreation within marriage. As time goes on we should encourage virginity until marriage, particularly for women. Women experience sex much more intensely when it comes to emotions. When a women has sex with multiple men she sends her brain mixed signals, which over time make it harder for her to bond with her husband. This makes both men and women miserable. Men and women are not the same and we should stop pretending that they are.
Marriage is not a panacea, no such thing exists. But instead of insisting upon perfect, maybe we should be insisting upon best practice. What works for most people, what protects and provides for the future.
In a Traditionalist society sex in all its forms, good and bad, will continue to exist. We are powerless to stop that. That does not mean that we are powerless in all areas. We can and should encourage marriage and stable personal relationships.
Originally published at Upon Hope. You can find Mark’s Subscribestar here.
