Vedic Perspective
Editorial Commentary
4-16-87

  Today, there are so many problems caused by the liberal habits of a
person's sexuality.  AIDS, abortion, teen pregnancy, and so on.  How can
society effectively deal with this problem?
  One campaign which we had seen started and which has become quite popular
recently is the "Say NO!" campaign.  The "Say NO!" program, first associated
with the campaign against drug abuse, tried to get everyone, especially kids
and teens, to "Say NO! to drugs".  Now, people concerned about the problem
of teenage sex are trying to use the same strategy to "Just say NO! to
teenage sex".  Why?  Because other than the growing popularity of dispensing
condems in high school health clinics, concerned opponents to this problem
of teenage sex have no other plan to combat this problem.
  "Just say NO! to teenage sex."  "Why?" some adolescent may ask.  After
all, with the convenient availability of abortion and all sorts of
contraceptive devices, which have allowed the adult world all sorts of
sexual freedom, why should a teenager, with the same strong desires, "Just
say NO!"?  Has anybody, regardless of their age "just said NO!" to the
proposal of sex?
  Jim Bakker didn't "just say NO!" to his secretary and that cost him his
name, fame and job as a prospering television evangelist.  And overseas
marines didn't say NO! to beautiful soviet spys who used the men to gain
access to US military classified information.  So who, really, is "just
saying NO!" to sex?
  So the problem is that no one knows the pitfalls of sex life.  No one
knows the proper use of sex life.  Therefore, no one knows how to engage in
sex life and when to really "say NO!" to having sex.
  That knowledge is given by the Vedic culture and taught within this
Krishna consciousness movement.
  The idea is that sex life and spiritual life do not go well together.  In
order to understand who God is, a person has to become very controlled in
his behavior.  It is said that if a person who wants to know God, he must
becoome completely sinless.  However, if a person allows himself to become
controlled by the strong forces of the material body, like sex, then he can
"say NO!" to sex, but the sexual urges of the body will literally force him
against his will.
  In order to combat these strong primal urges of the body, one must be very
seriously trying to understand who he is and who God is.  This is the only
real and effective defense against becoming victimized by sexual desires.
Because when any person understands that he is not the physical body and
that he is not finding real happiness through sex life, then he is finally
making some wonderful advancement in Krishna consciousness.
  It is said that sex life is the shackles of material life.  It is the
greatest pleasure that one can find while he is living in the material
world.  But as soon as one gets a little taste of understanding the beauty
of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord Krishna, he can easily
"say NO!" to the temporary pleasure of sex life and not be disturbed.  But
apart from this method of gaining freedom from sex life, there is absolutely
no other way to become free from the victimization of sexual desires.

--Vaishnava dasa