Another Look

Sometimes all it takes is a change of perspective, and you will live the very life our maker has intended for our living. The entire effect of reading the bible hangs on giving you a new perspective.

Here’s a story that will enlighten you – it’s about the piranha fishes that refused to have another look. Actually, it was a real experiment which I read years ago. It demonstrates learned helplessness. 
Years ago, when animal-rights weren't as actively campaigned (as it is today), an interesting experiment was done on piranha fishes. These little fishes were placed in a large fish tank, separated from their food by a see-through glass divider. After a few days of hitting their heads against the glass divider trying to get to the food, the piranhas slowed down and inevitably gave up. The glass divider was then removed, and you won't believe what happened after that. 
The piranhas starved to death while swimming freely in the fish tank filled with food. What were they thinking? In essence, the piranhas thought that if at first (and second, third, etc.) you don't succeed, might as well give up.
But the actions that once yielded no result may produce something substantial by us looking at it another time. 

The piranhas instead died than have another go at the food. Many pornography addicts have ceased to take another look. In reality, this may be the correct gaze that will make them completely free from addiction. 

An addict to pornography faces a lot of negative consequences. Some of them involve relational problems with others and with God, decreased capacity to love, increasing anger at those in his or her circle, lack of self-esteem and absence of trust, guilt, fear, depression and poor work performances.

The truth is that the individual may not often see the wrong in 'viewing', just that parents and church told them it's wrong. Others are also blinded by the pleasures they receive from watching pornography that it robs them from seeing these negative consequences.
Now this is where the problem is; we are exposed to many of the negative consequences yet we persist in viewing it. So clearly the negative consequences alone do not have the power to stop a 'viewing' habit.
Let me illustrate how focusing on the negative or the problem is usually not the way to the solution. Please look at your cellphone but don’t imagine a hammer falling from the roof, hitting it and crushing it. Oh, I hope you get it - I asked you not to imagine a hammer falling from the roof, hitting your cellphone and crushing it, but you couldn’t get the image out of my mind. So if all your strength is focused on not thinking about pornography, what will be the last word your mind thinks of? -“Pornography.”

We've learnt today that, we give power to 'viewing' when we focus on only, the negative consequences.

I was watching episode ten of YOLO season five yesterday and there was a scene of a teacher with his students talking on reproductive health. This teacher gave one very 'look-intelligent' suggestion to how to kill sexual desires.
 He accepted a contribution from one of his students that engaging in physical and sporting activities helps to kill sexual desires. Interesting! We will delve deeper into this in our next article. Kindly share this week’s article with at least one person, and you’ve done the Lord's biding! Have a blessed moment

Before we go from here, our topic today says it all, taking another look. There’s a better way to dealing with this addiction, it is tried and tested, proven and highly recommendable. For help and counselling on any sexual issue email us on seperatedyoungsters@gmail.com. You can also share your testimony via the email above.