Effects of Porn

[straysweeper]

This has been weighing on me for a while for a few reasons. While this is also an economical post as well, I'm more concerned with the effects on soul and intention it represents.

I have been known to watch porn myself, but often it bugs me. No meaning behind it, and so fourth. I am very much into the meaning of things. However, I used to be involved in the distribution of such products. I like to think I never did it for personal gain another I did gain out of it, but to rather help out someone close to me. Events never ended well between the two of us, and since we have had rather self destructive relationships with women. I can only now question weather this was the cause.

But for years, the knowledge of this industry and the income within has weighed on me. Especially with where I am now financially. I have always believed that with a will there is a way. And that there is a way to do this without the adult. But its been 5 years, and I still consider it from time to time, even more so now as I've found ways to where I wouldn't even have to touch it or see it.

My qualms have always been on a moral standing. I may be a sexual creature, but I do not believe in the greed and some other things done via the sexual methods. At the time and still now (less certain), I tend to think porn sends the wrong message. I promised myself then that I'd never do it myself. Since then my views have changed somewhat. But I'm unclear how to resolve this once and for all and stop lending it energy as an open loop in my head. Kind of feels like going back on my word.

The trouble here is people I know are going without, while I also may hold the knowledge to do something.

So, this thread is not just to help with my issue, but to discuss the overall effect on consciousness and intention effects of porn.

[Liveformx64]

I don't see it so much as a "sin" but as a waste of valuable energy that you could share, teach, and learn with another person. Sort of like thinking negatively, or complaining about your job, all of it counterproductive.

I think there are many reasons why porn is destructive, degrading, and overall not very healthy for the mind.

I can also think of many reasons why "free love" is destructive degrading and overall not very healthy for the body and mind.

Sex is where the physical meets spiritual and I don't think it is to be thrown around lightly. For self gain (porn, prostitution, satiation etc.)

It is I think brought about for humans to have the ultimate in physical sharing, and partake in the act of creation ourselves. But all things valuable are exploited and dirtied, and so goes the world.

This really all depends on your world (spiritual views), because without a structure of beliefs your moral compass will spin around like a depolarized needle and you will come to no real conclusion .

[Cantando]

Originally Posted by straysweeper

This has been weighing on me for a while for a few reasons...

It sounds like you are almost ready to let go of this attachment. You know it’s not doing your spirit any good. The energy you are putting into this can be redirected in a more beneficial direction.

Just let it go, and you will feel a great sense of relief.

Once, I thought I had a foolproof system for winning on the horses. My wife thought I was only betting small sums, but I was betting quite a lot. It did get quite addictive. I was even sneaking out of the office several times a day to go to a nearby betting shop. It seemed to have a vice like grip on me.

Then, one night at a party, I was speaking to someone who seemed to radiate so much innocence and inner joy, that the burden just suddenly lifted from me, there and then. It was quite astonishing. We weren’t even talking about horses.

Have some compassion for yourself and meditate on what may be causing and prolonging this impediment. Whether it is porn, gambling, drinking heavily, stealing, or whatever kind of addiction or obsession – it enslaves the spirit.

If you wish to change, you can, and the moment will come, perhaps unexpectedly.

[darkw0rker]

porn does not affect your soul literarry although masturbation does. It creates bad karma.

[straysweeper]

Originally Posted by darkw0rker

porn does not affect your soul literarry although masturbation does. It creates bad karma.

I'm Doomed! LOL

On serious note, I haven't really been able to find the block but by the use of my language and some self honesty, I can't say I have really tried. But I've realized something. Perhaps this is a test, to see what I really want, or who I really want to be? Do I take the easy way or the path of least resistance?

[smartile]

Hi straysweeper,

You are a creative and experiencing being. You choose what you want to create and experience. Therefore the 'effect' of your thoughts are entirely up to you. If you want to experience guilt, then you would have to have guilty thoughts. If you want to experience joy, then you would have to have joyful thoughts. You are always creating your experience from thought regardless if you believe this or not.

Remember the 'cause' of all 'effects' starts inside.

Originally posted by straysweeper
I have been known to watch porn myself, but often it bugs me. No meaning behind it, and so fourth.

It's not a big deal, unless you make it a big deal. If you watch porn and it 'bugs you' then I would suggest you are giving it meaning; besides, you can't NOT give meaning to things - we always are. It just depends on what meaning you are giving it.

You have to have thoughts before you have feelings. It's just the way it works. Every feeling is preceded by a thought,

Thought > Feeling > Action

And if those thoughts don't support you, give them up.

Originally posted by straysweeper
So, this thread is not just to help with my issue, but to discuss the overall effect on consciousness and intention effects of porn.

There is no effect on anyone. You've got to remember that you are the CAUSE in everything around you; you create everything. Once people start to wake-up and really understand this they'll realize that all the power the ever wanted is inside. Start to create from the INSIDE-OUT, instead of creating in reverse. It doesn't matter what happens outside of us. What matters is what people choose to experience inside.

[straysweeper]

Thank you for your posts.

Usually the guilt feeling comes from knowing there is something else I could be doing with my self. But this has less to do with my watching it. More so to do with the ability to sell and distribute it. I once promised myself back when I stopped doing it that I wouldn't use it. Visualizing the future, I often see myself doing great things, and often wonder how it would look or what people will think if I use this as a beginning. Also, I sometimes think about how people are addicted to it, as well as a potentially negative influence on me getting watching it when I was younger, not wanting to contribute to these outcomes. However, I also have personal and financial responsibilities to meet. So, its a conflict between values as well as identity.

When in truth, what I know to sell this product, I could use to sell others, perhaps taking longer. I know this product, but I don't know the others. The devil I know vs the devil I don't. I'd love to find a product I really believe in and can get behind. Something that adds genuine value. But who decides value? Myself and the Client.

[velvet1]

Originally Posted by darkw0rker

porn does not affect your soul literarry although masturbation does. It creates bad karma.

How does masturbation create bad karma?

[Jarreddo]

I'm not too sure about the spiritual aspects of it, but I can say that porn had a very measurable effect on my life. I was kind of a porn addict all through high school, and I only realized recently that looking at porn all the time made me think of sex in visual terms, and possibly auditory terms, but nothing else. I wasn't thinking about touch or anything deeper than just how it looked and sounded. I didn't get much pleasure out of actual sex because it didn't look as good.

It got to the point where I didn't actually want to have sex, I figured I'd just stick to porn forever, I mean why not? Finally I started looking at porn less and eventually my fantasies spread out into the other senses; now I can't even imagine going back to my old, limited viewpoint. I still look at porn sometimes, but it's not about seeing something sexual any more, it's about inspiring a deeper fantasy.

[Old Soul]

well it has been from my experience and talking with men especially that porn does indeed seem to have a positive effect on them.... in that they usually really like it

:-))

[Plato]

Originally Posted by Jarreddo

I'm not too sure about the spiritual aspects of it, but I can say that porn had a very measurable effect on my life. I was kind of a porn addict all through high school, and I only realized recently that looking at porn all the time made me think of sex in visual terms, and possibly auditory terms, but nothing else. I wasn't thinking about touch or anything deeper than just how it looked and sounded. I didn't get much pleasure out of actual sex because it didn't look as good.

It got to the point where I didn't actually want to have sex, I figured I'd just stick to porn forever, I mean why not? Finally I started looking at porn less and eventually my fantasies spread out into the other senses; now I can't even imagine going back to my old, limited viewpoint. I still look at porn sometimes, but it's not about seeing something sexual any more, it's about inspiring a deeper fantasy.

Great post.

[straysweeper]

I began thinking of this in terms of energy levels. I read another thread where someone referred to this as a low-energy activity. If we were all conscious human beings, wouldn't porn be unnecessary? And if you participating in a low energy activity, what are you then attracting?

[Eleanor Rose]

I personally find porn unsatisfying.

Sex, for me, is about being close to someone and enjoying intimacy with them, and appreciating them, and them appreciating you... mose of the porn on the internet is a million miles away from that. I don't think it's all bad, I mean, I don't see any harm in using porn to spice up your sex life once in a while, whether it's your solo sex life or your sex life with your partner.

But if you're regularly watching porn and have no partner, I can see that it can be quite emotionally and sexually isolating.

[funchy]

Originally Posted by darkw0rker

porn does not affect your soul literarry although masturbation does. It creates bad karma.

Why is that?

[funchy]

Originally Posted by straysweeper

I have been known to watch porn myself, but often it bugs me. No meaning behind it, and so fourth. I am very much into the meaning of things. However, I used to be involved in the distribution of such products. I like to think I never did it for personal gain another I did gain out of it, but to rather help out someone close to me. Events never ended well between the two of us, and since we have had rather self destructive relationships with women. I can only now question weather this was the cause.

Generally speaking, I don't have an issue with it. Not everyone who is photographed or videoed is being exploited. In non-porn videos, there are actors who are exploited. For example, think of the sheer number of TV show that appear with child actors? Do all of these children really want to work instead of enjoying a normal childhood? At least porn is among consenting adults.

I don't see what's so wrong about the human body or sexuality?

I am confused by our culture. Videos involving sexuality, love, and the beautiful human body are said to be immoral or taboo. But videos (fiction or nonfiction) of murders, wars, abuse, and violence are so commonplace that even pre-teen kids know what murder and beatings looks like?

Now, if someone is using pornography to fill their needs in place of spending time with a partner or enjoying a normal life, then it is destructive....but the same would be said for any activity that drains energy away from the important things in life.

straysweeper- Perhaps you're associating porn with the friend who turned out to be a bad role model? I don't think porn makes a person have self-destructive relationships. The self-destructive framework had to be there first for someone to see porn in a destructive light.
I feel that you should make peace with what you did in the past and let it go. If you don't feel comfortable around porn, there's absolutely nothing wrong in avoiding it.

[Barcs]

Personally, I don't see any problem with porn at all. Afterall, it's just fantasy. Masturbation is healthy for your body, so if you're not in a relationship I see nothing wrong with it at all. Even within a relationship, it can spice things up if that's your thing. I can't possibly see why one would think this would create bad karma or low vibrations. I can see the point about experiencing the rest of the senses through sex, however creating the fantasy still requires a good amount of imagination and creativity, which, IMO, can strengthen your overall person in those areas.

The time when I could see it being destructive, is when you watch porn so often that it becomes a substitute for your lover. So instead of loving him or her, and exploring new things/furthering your relationship, you watch porn and then you both do not get to spend the quality time together. Like most things, moderation is key. Don't let it take over your life.

[bellemeadows]

Originally Posted by darkw0rker

porn does not affect your soul literarry although masturbation does. It creates bad karma.

You have a very different idea of karma than I do.

[bellemeadows]

Originally Posted by Barcs

Personally, I don't see any problem with porn at all. Afterall, it's just fantasy. Masturbation is healthy for your body, so if you're not in a relationship I see nothing wrong with it at all. Even within a relationship, it can spice things up if that's your thing. I can't possibly see why one would think this would create bad karma or low vibrations. I can see the point about experiencing the rest of the senses through sex, however creating the fantasy still requires a good amount of imagination and creativity, which, IMO, can strengthen your overall person in those areas.

The time when I could see it being destructive, is when you watch porn so often that it becomes a substitute for your lover. So instead of loving him or her, and exploring new things/furthering your relationship, you watch porn and then you both do not get to spend the quality time together. Like most things, moderation is key. Don't let it take over your life.

I agree. I'm not a fan of porn because I've seen people who have let porn become their whole sex life. I know people who would rather have fun by themselves with some porn than share sexual intimacy with another person, even their spouse.

I guess it is their choice. But there is something lovely about sharing good fun with your husband, wife, lover, whoever. . . its messier with all the human stuff going on, but hey, I"m a fan -- it has its own charm and I wouldn't trade it for pictures or whatever in a million years.

Belle

[Michael Chui]

straysweeper,

It's been a while since I've done a write-up on porn. If you're still interested, I can put one together soon-ish.

[missing]

I don't have anything much to add to this, as porn is a complex and weird topic for me, but I often find it bizarre. I mean, we watch other people mating, and get off to it. What purpose does this serve? (rhetorical question). What other species would do this? (again, rhetorical, I'm sure there is at least one). I often wonder what life was like for men before porn became widespread. Where did that sexual energy go?

[Erock]

I think porn is harmless and I noticed that as soon as I started getting real women in my life I stopped watching it completely. I literally went from masturbating once every two days to not even thinking about it after a couple weeks. I'd recommend you guys try the same.

Erock

[missing]

Originally Posted by Erock

I think porn is harmless and I noticed that as soon as I started getting real women in my life I stopped watching it completely. I literally went from masturbating once every two days to not even thinking about it after a couple weeks. I'd recommend you guys try the same.

Erock

I still watched porn and masturbated when I had "real" women in my life. Granted, I wasn't having sex with those women, so perhaps there in lies the problem.

sadly, I can't afford hookers and convincing women to have sex with me for free requires more energy than I have.

[straysweeper]

Originally Posted by Michael Chui

straysweeper,

It's been a while since I've done a write-up on porn. If you're still interested, I can put one together soon-ish.

I'm not sure what you have in mind, but I'd enjoy to read whatever you have to offer.

Originally Posted by missing

I don't have anything much to add to this, as porn is a complex and weird topic for me, but I often find it bizarre. I mean, we watch other people mating, and get off to it. What purpose does this serve? (rhetorical question). What other species would do this? (again, rhetorical, I'm sure there is at least one). I often wonder what life was like for men before porn became widespread. Where did that sexual energy go?

It is my understanding it has to do with mirror neurons in the brain. I assume the energy went to work of some sort.

Erock, I have noticed some points in my life where this is the same.

Originally Posted by missing

I still watched porn and masturbated when I had "real" women in my life. Granted, I wasn't having sex with those women, so perhaps there in lies the problem.

sadly, I can't afford hookers and convincing women to have sex with me for free requires more energy than I have.

Perhaps your energy is misplaced?

To everyone - Would you sell/distributing adult dvds if you could make a living at it? Why would you or wouldn't you?

[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by straysweeper

I'm not sure what you have in mind, but I'd enjoy to read whatever you have to offer.

I had hoped to spend this afternoon on it, but I didn't. I'll try to find time.

The porn debate has happened several times here, and there are some points that deserve rehashing and I think I can do it better this time around, now that it's sat in my brain for a year or two.

Originally Posted by straysweeper

To everyone - Would you sell/distributing adult dvds if you could make a living at it? Why would you or wouldn't you?

I would if I didn't have any other means of supporting myself. I'd prefer not to, mostly because sales and distribution are disagreeable to me; I'm an internet kid, and I don't like physical business much. I'd have no problem running a porn site, though it wouldn't be my first choice.

[straysweeper]

Originally Posted by Michael Chui

I had hoped to spend this afternoon on it, but I didn't. I'll try to find time.

The porn debate has happened several times here, and there are some points that deserve rehashing and I think I can do it better this time around, now that it's sat in my brain for a year or two.

I would if I didn't have any other means of supporting myself. I'd prefer not to, mostly because sales and distribution are disagreeable to me; I'm an internet kid, and I don't like physical business much. I'd have no problem running a porn site, though it wouldn't be my first choice.

No worries take your time. Right now I'm in exactly that position of having nothing else, and being in trouble. My idea of doing it is to get it all streamlined to where I don't really have to touch it, and work a few hours a day. However, I've had qualms about it, and promised myself a long time ago to not go that path. Hence the whole reason of this post.

[Lil Chris]

Originally Posted by missing

sadly, I can't afford hookers and convincing women to have sex with me for free requires more energy than I have.

HA!
This made me chuckle.... Thanks

[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by straysweeper

No worries take your time. Right now I'm in exactly that position of having nothing else, and being in trouble. My idea of doing it is to get it all streamlined to where I don't really have to touch it, and work a few hours a day. However, I've had qualms about it, and promised myself a long time ago to not go that path. Hence the whole reason of this post.

And what do you expect us to do for you? Agree that porn is evilnastybad? You believe it is; what do you want us to do?

You've said that you don't want to do this. Okay. Make the decision and commit to it. Struggle to find your way out. Tap every contact you can, pass out a resume with sufficient discretion, go to networking parties. Make a timeline detailing exactly how and at what times you'll pull yourself out. Set milestones and meet them.

Honestly, I can cry myself hoarse with rhetorical argumentation about this or that, but if you don't resolve for yourself a satisfaction in your work, then you should make an effort to get out.

And the essay is coming. I did part of it last night.

[straysweeper]

I would agree that everything has its place. I have helped my brother sell and distribute it, even though I think I influenced him to where he got out of it himself. However, I think it has always been nestled in the corning of my mind thinking that I could always use it as a crutch to get out of a financially bad position, but at what cost? I promised myself 5 years ago that I'd never do it myself. Why? Because that is not how or who I want to be. While I believe sexuality is apart of us all, I think there is too much negative value and unconsciousness in such an industry. Not that all of it is, yet, if you were to place the positive and negative on a balance and see which one wins, I think negative would at this point.

I give you my thanks. I'm not sure why, but what you said helped me realize that I haven't really made a decision. Which I think is the point. Having this on the back burner helps me to not make a decision. By not making a decision even if it is the wrong one, it perpetuates my current situation. Which I seem to be getting a lot of secondary gain from.

I look forward to reading your essay.

[Michael Chui]

And done.

Before I paste this in, I will point out again that I don't think my opinion on pornography is actually relevant here. That's not the issue. It's as you say: your decisiveness and ability to commit and follow through.

===

Pornography, as defined by Wikipedia, is "the explicit depiction of sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer". This means it excludes erotica, which some purists insist on, because erotica is different in that it has an interest in doing more than merely providing sexual excitation.

This does mean that fetishes like women with cigarettes, in short skirts, peering up skirts at panties, voyeurism in general, feet, et cetera, et cetera, basically, all of these. And there's a lot of stuff there that freaks even me out. (I have never understood the breast inflation fetish, and those images are an instant turn-off.) On the other hand, I got off to this image (safe for work) a few nights ago. That's not porn. I'm also fairly aware of why I did, but I'm not the subject of study here.

The point is: porn covers a lot of stuff, and that doesn't even include all the stuff random people get aroused by. Making any general statement about porn necessarily includes people with photographic memories who saw a particularly lovely specimen of the human species out in public, went home, and thought about that image for a session of alone time.

Some time ago, Alan Moore went on the warpath with pornography. His thesis? Pornography is normal.

BOG VENUS VERSUS NAZI ****-RING: Some Thoughts Concerning Pornography.

Just to recap, then, sexually progressive cultures gave us mathematics, literature, philosophy, civilization and the rest, while sexually restrictive cultures gave us the Dark Ages and the Holocaust. Not that I’m trying to load my argument, of course.

Is he nuts? I don't think so. What he doesn't cover, probably because like me, he couldn't prove it, is that sexuality is just something else people are curious about and know about. Sexually progressive cultures would therefore naturally be curious about everything else in the world and interested in finding out more about it. Sexually restrictive cultures, on the other hand, would have naturally used curious people as a means to lock down their societies as a whole. As a counterexample, I'd point out that pornography is sold on the streets in Islamic countries, or so I was shown pictures of during a lecture on that subject.

Porn is typically a vicarious activity: you are imagining yourself in place of someone you are thinking about. (The obvious exception being voyeurism in general, but less obviously, most softcore.) And in mentally acting in tandem with that the person actually doing the activity, you can experiment with it and find out things about your own sexuality without the hassle of actually seeking out people who are interested.

People often accuse pornography of objectification. But it's not pornography's fault that their market is full of people who objectify sex. The bulk of fetishes is precisely that; that's what a fetish is. You can call them maladjusted, or you can call it sexual diversity. Hint: that second one is an evolutionary advantage. You may as well accuse grocers of advocating vegetarianism. And is objectification bad? Perhaps, perhaps not. That's not an argument worth stuffing into the scope of this essay.

Lastly, I should address the energy argument. Very few people have actually sat down and put together a cohesive and coherent system explaining exactly how to determine the so-called "energy level" of a given activity. Is dancing high energy, or low energy? How about a good book? What about shopping? Playing with a child? No, all you really have is a bunch of gurus who have agreed that masturbation is low energy, and that's that. So much for the appeal to authority.

Sexual intercourse is nominally an energetic activity; someone is doing a lot of moving, and they both probably have their blood flowing pretty quick. Sexual energy has been described as something that builds up and is released. Pro-masturbation energy mystics usually point out that orgasm releases energy and keeps it from becoming stagnant. Now, I have also heard that artistic genius can come from the frustration built up from abstaining; sounds like a sacrifice, are you a martyr? Further, what kind of energy is derived from a couple being inspired by pornography to try something different in bed?

Personally, I get turned on by manipulation, and to a lesser degree, by watching a woman orgasm. I think it's a beautiful thing to watch and even better if you helped it along. Thus, I generally prefer softcore and glamour to well... everything else. Listening to the girl talk, not the random moaning and "dirty talk" which bore me, but actually speak conversationally: this also makes her sexier to me. And I ask: what's so "low energy" about this?

Pornography covers a huge amount of media; the massiveness of its industry doesn't come simply as a matter of the same thing in epic quantities: there's also a remarkable amount of variety offered, and even more outside typical industry fare (see: hentai). It's an expression, and admittance, of the sexual curiousness of any postpubescent person.

[dinosaur]

Pornography in and of itself is not evil or bad in any way. It's just a recording of naked people having sex. If you think sex is a no-no, you gotta pull your head out of the dark ages and come back to the 21st century.

But of course it's not that simple. I think a lot of women who go into porn do so out of a combination of financial need and abuse. I have a feeling that a lot of women in porn were sexually abused as a child, have low self-esteem, etc. That's not to say all of them are like that, but porn is a very low-prestige career (and that is an understatement). For the most part, most people who are emotionally healthy would not go into porn.

The good news is that porn actresses are consenting adults. That makes it better. But the fact that they consented to it does not necessarily make it healthy/"moral"