Article May 12, 2008 Issue

TRUE BLISS AND ITS SOURCE

BY BEA ROEGGE

If I receive another e-mail selling something that promises bliss by providing a great sensuous thrill, I think I'll—well, I guess screaming won't do much good. What will help is ridding society of these enticements, along with the whole billion-dollar pornography industry, and providing a better understanding of what brings true happiness and bliss.

Years ago someone told me that the Cervantes novel, Don Quixote, laughed chivalry out of existence—not true chivalry, but the ridiculous rules of knighthood that included duels and an exaggerated concept of honoring women. I decided then that maybe sensualism could be laughed out of existence.

It is equally ridiculous to think that physical sensation alone can bring bliss. This is not to put down the happiness many experience in a loving relationship. As one Christian minister who is fighting pornography put it, "Sexuality is just a beautiful gift and we don't know how to protect it." And another minister, engaged in the same battle, said, "Porn has sold people a great lie ... it drives them apart" (Inside Bay Area [California], November 4, 2006).