SIR: There is a pronounced rise in sexual crimes particularly rape across the globe and in our country. Hardly does a day go by without one reading of the rape of a woman, an adult defiling a child, father having carnal knowledge of daughter and similar depraved acts somewhere in the country. This is very disturbing.
Rape is a horrible crime that deserves condemnation by every right-thinking human. But as one condemns, one should also pause a while and consider if he is not in any way contributing to the crime. While physically we may appear irreproachable, spiritually, we cannot escape our share of the guilt of such atrocities.
Presently, the earth is saturated, choking with erotic thoughts. Wherever one looks it's all about sex. Sex has since become about the highest selling commodity –if it isn't sexy, forget it; and so many are just too eager to cash in on the boom. The fashion of today reeks of nudity and sensuality. Consider popular music, movies, and TV reality shows of today. They are mostly celebration of sensuality, nudity, lust, calls for debauchery. The celebrity must exude sensuality, in fact the more he/she projects sex, the more he/she is celebrated.
The print media is not left out. Take a look at magazines and even dailies. So much space is now being taken up in the latter for sex talk. Sex is even incorporated into adverts of products which have nothing to do with it. This is just ridiculous!
The effect is a poisoning of the thought environment hence many find themselves thinking of sex more often than is healthy. And the more people contemplate sex, the stronger the erotic thoughts surrounding the earth (and almost strangling it) becomes. Sex has lost its taboo; it has become just too casual. With this initial boundary crossed, naturally perversions set in.
A more enduring solution is for humanity to begin to get the present sex-mania under control. We must begin to advertise sex less, to de-emphasize it. Let us make effort to keep the hearths of our thoughts pure. By so doing, we'll reduce the strength of erotic and indeed other harmful thoughts and save ourselves heartaches.
•Nnoli Chidiebere
Aba, Abia State.
