I'm partly shocked, partly amused by the vile bitterness in some of these letters. Is wealth really that threatening?

Like almost anything in life, the "value" of porn -- whether it's something positive or negative, constructive or destructive-- can only be measured against the type of person using it and that person's unique history/traits/viewpoints. An alcoholic who knows he's an alcoholic and is trying to change cannot take a sip of beer without feeling guilty or a little depressed. For an alcoholic, one beer equals something bad. For a NON-alcoholic, a beer might be the most refreshing, relaxing thing imaginable. He drinks it and feels better and does not feel like he's done something wrong. The same goes for porn. If, as you're watching it, masturbating to it, you get this slimy guilty feeling in your gut, kind of like you're being molested, to use Cary's word, or being taken advantage of, and you find it disgusting and exploitative and yet you can't seem to stop because it's also providing pleasure, I'd say these conflicting feelings are cause for concern and porn is something destructive. On the other hand, if you're simply enjoying it, guilt-free, or incorporating it into the sex life with your partner -- what's the problem? By the same token it's incorrect to compare porn to crack. Crack is an extremely powerful drug that has proven to be a DESTRUCTIVE force in 100 percent of the cases, no matter what your personal makeup is. You would never hear someone say, "Oh, crack? Oh yeah I do crack. It's good every once in a while. My wife and I find it invigorating. It's not for everyone, but it's for me."

SB4609 makes a good point in saying sex is such an ingrained, primal desire that we can't trust ourselves to overcome when it can be satisfied in such a raw, anonymous, readily available format. But I also agree with Travelall when he/she says that this goes for food (and many other substances) as well. After all, we need food as much, if not more, than we need sex, survival-wise, and millions of people cannot control their eating. And yet millions upon millions of people manage to hold back from overeating, as well. The paper-thin guy jogging 5 miles every morning desires a donut as much as the 300 pounder with his ass planted on the couch, he's just trained himself better to resist. A donut appeals to our taste buds, and one could say that appeal is immediate, primal, automatic and strong -- so is porn's, and, as with donuts, millions upon millions of people manage to resist its temptations every day. So while we can't trust ourselves to overcome the desire to watch porn, SOME of us CAN trust ourselves not to act on that desire, or to act on it in a controlled manner. I think what people are trying to get at here is if porn is inherently bad, if even dabbling in it is something negative because even a small dose does harm, and again I think this comes down to the type of person you are, the type or porn you're watching, and the setting/situation in which you're watching it.

From Anonymous--

"Assuming we could accomplish all of our desires would all of this really amount to freedom? Of course not... it means that we're just enslaved to our desires."

Aren't we equally enslaved to our desires if we expend all our energy denying them, repressing them and battling them?

Implied in your search for heroism is a search for recognition, and implied in your search for recognition is a search for happiness, but once your happiness is no longer predicated on recognition you'll be amazed on how little it takes to be happy. Try growing up first. Wait a few years. I'm guessing you're somewhere between 21 and 26? Let yourself mature. See if you can get past your ego, and you'll find your concept of "heroism" and what constitutes a great life turn on its head. Suddenly all the greatness you were seeking will be irrelevant. You'll ask yourself: "Why did I even CARE about those things?"

Cary,

Another response of yours I'm going to print out and keep.

Thank you.

I love my wife immensely, so much that I can't even express how much I love her without using inane adverbs. She's everything to me. My life. AND YET -- a beautiful hot young thing walks by and yes, I look at her, and yes, looking at her makes me want to have sex with her. Maybe -- don't look at her? Okay in theory, I guess. In reality I can't change the fact that I'm a man, biologically designed to have the desire to spread my seed. Looking at and wanting to have sex with beautiful women is not pleasureful for me, it's self-induced suffering, but I can't seem to change. Perhaps minor change is possible, with practice. We can meditate on the feeling of desire itself, the physical sensations it produces, and hence cut the drug off before it gets to the brain. I don't know. Life is not easy. And yet it doesn't have to be as hard as we often make it for ourselves. Concentrate on what you have instead of what you don't have. Don't throw away love for a roll in hay. Accept your desires and feel them.