The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself.
-- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891
He who reigns within himself and rules his passions, desires, and fears is more than a king.
-- John Milton
Two opposing ideas in today Quote of the Day service. Interesting. Looking at Wilde's idea (while admitting it's from a work of fiction): while it's true that what you resist sticks with ya, I think that he who gives in to every temptation is not above a dog. My new neighbor has a lovely wife with a lovely smile. So I should just follow my pants and hit on her with all my might? Or, if we take the logic to its extreme, follow the lizard brain and take her by force? I don't think that leads to a very happy life.
I'm tempted to say something about Viking invaders coming to rape and pillage.....
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Maybe Wilde dreamed of a world where we would be beyond something as foolish as monogamy and if you wanted her, you could have her. Or maybe he's just talking about general pleasures, as in the weird Christian idea that denial of sex is somehow superior and spiritual.
ReplyDelete"The only instance where it's more pleasant to lose than to win, is when you're fighting temptation." - (author unknown)
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