Posted by:
Gay Philosopher
(
)
Date: September 01, 2013 11:04AM
Yaqoob,
I think that 40 is way too young to border on being a "dirty old man." Biologically, certain visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory stimuli trigger arousal. It's as if there were a certain "search type" that we unconsciously search for. If another individual falls within the parameters of that search type, the reptilian parts of our brains register the match, and instigate arousal. Or, less dramatically, we experience feelings of attraction toward a complete stranger because she (or he) falls within the parameters of our search type.
A radar gun detects speeders. Our neural networks similarly seem to be on the constant lookout for anyone who matches the parameters of our search type. Some of us have vary narrow tolerances; it's very hard for another individual to register as a match. Others have very wide tolerances, and will feel attracted to a large number of others. I suspect that all of this is mostly biologically (genetically) determined. If so, then there's no sense in using ridiculous labels such as "dirty old man."
Our bodies are biological machines--hardware. Our personalities are a combination of the operating system and various apps--i.e. the software.
As frightening as this is, read:
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/14/local/la-me-pedophiles-20130115The states of our brains determine our behavior. Most of us have brains that work similarly, and so there's no problem. But some do not. Some brains have pedophiliac tendencies. Others have homosexual tendencies. And on and on. The driving and inhibitory circuits of certain brains are such that the probabilities for acting on drives manifest, or don't. When they manifest, those in the majority condemn the social deviant. When they don't, there's no problem--except, perhaps, to the individual who is "suffering" in silence.
I take away from this that we are what our brains do. It's both as simple and complicated as that. It's not a matter of what we wish, but how we're wired. We have competing brain modules. This causes some to suffer enormously, and it's not just sexual. It could be something like attention deficit disorder, or OCD. We weren't designed, Yaqoob. We evolved. As individuals, we arose thanks to fertilization of an egg by a sperm, and genetic recombination--23 pairs of chromosomes (unless one has a genetic disorder). The genetic instructions within them determine the bauplan ("build plan," or blueprint) of our bodies, as well as behavioral probabilities. These are mediated by neonatal development, very early life experience, and enculturation, but--I suspect--to a very limited degree.
You are as you are, and you'll always be that way. That's true for all of us. Generally, people don't change over time. Personality is stable. And that is a consequence of being a material Homo sapiens sapiens being that evolved through natural selection.
By trying to "improve" our natures to conform with social mores, we're literally fighting against nature, specifically genes. Over the long haul, that's a losing battle. Natural selection doesn't care about our happiness. It only wires the genetic probabilities to increase the chance for procreation so that the species will survive. The forces are, as far as anyone knows, blind.
That's the tragedy of life.
I'd really like to understand your story, Yaqoob. Since leaving the Church, what do you now believe, and what do you hope for in life?
Thanks,
Steve