Sensuality: When we are consumed by sensual pleasures or even sensual fantasies, we become oblivious to everything else. By that obliviousness, we may end up acting impulsively and hurting ourselves. For example, an alcoholic craving for a drink may become oblivious to their doctor’s warning that further drinking can destroy their liver and even their life. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (18.38) cautions that even if sensuality seems like nectar initially, it turns out to be like poison eventually.

Sensuality + Technology: A person given to sensual pleasures can summon the sleaziest images created by the darkest minds from all over the planet just by a few clicks on their devices. Or addicts with a gun in their hand can not only injure those who obstruct them from raiding a drug joint, but also injure themselves by drinking excessively. Technology can empower our sensually-triggered impulsiveness. 

Sensuality + Technology – Spirituality: Spirituality gives us a sense of meaning and purpose. Our spiritual side acts as our compass, telling us where we should go and where we shouldn’t go. Unfortunately, today’s mainstream materialistic culture has made spirituality inaccessible for most people. Being spiritually blinded, people have no access to any restraints when sensuality pulls them toward worldly objects and technology aids them in racing toward those objects. No wonder the Gita cautions that a hyper-sensual and anti-spiritual society will end up being both self-destructive and world-destructive (16.09).

By understanding how vulnerable we are, we can minimize our exposure to sensually surcharged atmospheres and monitor our use of technology. Most importantly, we can empower ourselves with the Gita’s penetrating spiritual insights and empowering spiritual practices, thereby safely and successfully navigating today’s world of technologically-triggered sensuality.

One-sentence summary:

Sensuality makes us impulsive; sensuality with technology makes us powerfully impulsive; sensuality with technology and without spirituality makes us powerfully and blindly impulsive. 

Think it over:

  • How does technology aggravate our vulnerability to sensuality?
  • How does the lack of spirituality increase our vulnerability to sensuality?
  • How can we protect ourselves from sensual impulsiveness?

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16.09: Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.

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