‘The more stringent the taboos are
about sex, the more violent the culture.
Conversely, the more sexually permissive
the culture, the lower the crime rate.’
— James W. Prescott, Body Pleasures and the Origins of Violence
The need for pleasure is a natural physical impulse. It is essential for both the physical and mental health of the body as it releases the tension. This release rejuvenates us and helps us form harmonious personal and cultural relationships.
When we repress our need for pleasure, the tension builds up because the body and mind are not in sync with each other; instead, they are against each other. This suppression of pleasure wreaks havoc in our lives and is the root cause of violence.
This stifled sexual energy finds its channel in negative outlets such as drugs, crude pornography, rape, sexual addiction, and other forms of perversions. Sexuality is a life force, and repression of this vital force can only lead to abnormalities like voyeurism, fetishism, and sadism to name a few.
Moral policing exists in our lives in different ways, shapes, and forms. It is a blanket term used to describe certain groups that act to enforce a code of morality in India. It has various types—from the subtlest form of being dictated what to wear to the gravest act of rape. Moral policing is nothing but an indicator of our unhealthy relationship with sexuality.
Instead of addressing the sexual desires and needs of a person, we are taught to be wary of it. This sexual impulse is ridiculed in the society and is seen as something atrocious which only the immoral indulge in. Such a perception transforms a pleasurable and natural experience into a shameful one.
Men express their sexual impulse through dominance and exploitation, and women express it as shame and guilt. Suppression also results in overindulgence of sex and preoccupation with it. In cultures that are defined or dominated by the idea of curbing sexual desires, any interaction between a man and a woman, no matter how healthy it is, is perceived with suspicion. It draws wrath from both the men and women alike.
The irony of these cultures is that the women are just as vicious in their judgement as men. This is because the women of these cultures have been habituated to see it as the norm. As products of such an environment, they view sexual impulse as vulgar rather than fulfilling.
A society that propagates sexual repression lashes out its rage and frustration on its people, especially the youth. Both men and women who are comfortable with their sexualities are targeted in the name of protecting the chaste culture of the land. Their moral policing is an act to save their pure land from following the decadence prevalent in sexually permissive cultures, like the Western countries.
Violence, a by-product of sexual repression, is ever palpable in such societies. It looms large like a cloud of doom and lurks in every nook and corner, waiting to burst at the slightest opportunity. Unfortunately, this repressive attitude becomes part of the mindset of the next generation and it becomes the norm.
Breaking free of such a norm is not going to be easy since it is a part of our cultural conditioning. But if we really want to save our society from the heinous crimes of rape, molestation, honour killing, and other forms of sexual exploitation, including marital rape, we need to develop a healthy attitude towards our natural desires. We need to accord it its due place in our lives.
By suppressing our primal energy, we turn it into an obsession. Like any other obsession, this, too, demands more attention than it deserves and creates a need for overindulgence. Eventually, this obsession turns into an origin of violence and debauchery.
According to the Hindu school of thought, a male form is incomplete and presupposes the existence of a female form. Sensuous pleasures have never been suppressed in Hinduism. The sensuous side of human nature has always been associated with the female. In fact, Hindu goddesses are often shown in sensual embraces rather than as holy virgins.
Hinduism considers the body to be an integral part of the human experience and celebrates its pleasures. By repressing our natural urges and shaming a woman’s sensuality, we are, in fact, living a lesser life. As a personification of primal energy, Goddess Shakti stirs love in the heart of Lord Shiva, and this love establishes a harmonious relationship between them.