Even if it may not seem like it, most of us are constantly surrounded by technology, most especially electronics. Phones, MP3 players, internet, it’s all there and it’s almost always with us.

Well as with any other innovation in the history of the world, no particular innovation is in itself morally good or bad. It’s the usage of said innovation that determines that. Something may have been invented, created, or thought up in order to reach a certain end which may be considered good, but almost inevitably, that same creation can evolve to reach certain ends which can be considered bad.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to predicate exactly how a new technology will impact the current world once released. The end that you sought will most likely occur (or perhaps fail to occur) as well as maybe a few other predictions being spot on, but there are also many other possibilities and outcomes that no one could have seen coming, further obfuscated by the fact that we really don’t have anything similar in history to look back and refer to.

For example, the internet in its creation was thought to be a sort of compendium and database of all human knowledge, like a kind of interactive, digital library that is constantly updating and renewing itself with new and correct information. In this sense, it’s obvious to see that the internet is something good, something that will benefit humanity for the better and allow for each and every person with access to it to expand their knowledge as well as teach others.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only thing that occurred.

The internet has also become synonymous with entertainment, time-wasters, porn, and people being assholes.

Who could have guessed that the internet which was supposed to be like a modern-day Library of Alexandria, shining in all its glory and wealth of information, is also at the same time akin to a filthy, dark alley in which you have to watch where you’re going lest you come across something that might be unpleasant.

There are other cons that come with the internet that I can easily think of at the top of my head but it’s not really necessary to do so right now. But don’t think that only the internet has this sort of problem. For any other innovation in technology you can name, you can be sure to be able to list something good about it as well as something bad about its usage even if it might be somewhat hidden or obscured.

I don’t know why but a lot of the people I know like their music to be loud. From personal listening music to concerts to clubs, the music should be blasting away at as much force as possible in order to get you to try to shout over the music in order to talk to the person next to you.

Not only is that really annoying and leads to hoarse throats later on, but it’s not very good for your ears either. This is where tinnitus comes in.

Tinnitus is a condition of hearing in which you have a constant ringing or buzzing in your ear. This sound comes from inside your head so it is only audible to you. This may be temporary such as when you first step out of a club or concert but it can become permanent if gone on for too long. The volume of the ringing too can only get worse. It is impossible for this condition to get better, only worse, and for some people, it can get so bad that it is impossible to ignore, even over someone else talking to you.

Tinnitus is caused by continuous loud noises such as music for example. A good rule of thumb is that if you have to raise your voice in a noticeable manner to talk to the person next to you, it’s too loud and the longer you listen to the noise, the more it will damage your hearing.

While some younger folk may not think that it is problem now, once again, this condition can only get worse and not better. As you get older, it can become more and more bothersome as your hearing would slowly deteriorate.

A simple solution would be lowering the volume of the music if you have that control or else buying some noise-reduction ear plugs and actually wearing them. If it is music coming from your earphones, then get some good noise-cancelling earphones so you don’t have to have the music volume competing with the background noise.

A combination of having good earphones, protecting your ears, controlling the volume, and even knowing when not to listen to music can go a long way in preserving your hearing in the future.

Which is better, to have something be useful and last for a really long time or for something to be useful and last for a short while?

If something only lasts for a short while, it is transient. It comes as quickly as it goes. Therefore, we would need something else to fill the gap it leaves behind. This leads to needing more somethings than otherwise in order to replace the previous one.

Something that lasts a long time and maintains its usefulness is better because there would be no need to have constant or near-constant replacements. You are satisfied with that one something and have no need for another.

Someone who becomes accustomed to having long-lasting, useful somethings has a stable, steady contentment for said something. Someone who becomes accustomed to having short-lasting, almost fleeting-like somethings has periodic surges and regressions of wanting and has a less stable contentment with it.

It could be because he becomes increasingly desperate with each replacement. Maybe because he seeks another surge but like an addiction, needs a bigger dose to have the same effect.

Whatever the reason, it’s not healthy for a person to become like this, searching for the next something.

With the sole exception of using that short-lasting something as a means to get the the long-lasting something, wherever in your life you find yourself searching for new somethings a lot, perhaps you have become addicted to the short-lasting. Addicted to novelty like a child who is fascinated by a new toy for a couple weeks before moving on.

Standards and quality-control are necessary. To not have a standard is to not care for the quality of a particular thing. To not care of the quality is to not care about it at all. Because you don’t care about the quality, you don’t care about the outcome, to not care about the consequence. Hence you don’t care about it at all. Why would you? You don’t have any standards.

Quality, or better said, having a standard of quality is what makes us care about anything. Without it, we would be apathetic.

Pornography is ubiquitous on the internet. It is almost always present in some way, shape, or form in practically everything we do online. Pornography is almost on the verge of being acceptable merely because of the fact that it is so widespread.

What does this say about our society and its values? That our society thinks that virtual (read: not real) sex is something to be sought after? That our citizens think that it is ok to have sex at the slightest whim? That it should not be held back?

I don’t think that these are the signs of a healthy and civilized society. In an age where teenagers think that having anal sex is a recommendable alternative thanks to porn, we ought to really rethink of how we view sex and how to depict it.

So what’s wrong with porn then? Well, there’s the obvious result of creating some rather fucked up images and thoughts in the minds of the people as well as the desensitization of the act itself. The latter can especially affect people in various ways. The most common result of this is that a person would require a larger and often a more frequent stimulation than before in order to feel just as good. This can turn a person into having a fetish with increasingly violent and disgusting tastes.

This goes completely against the principle of moderation which I believe to be superior way of life than a life of letting your own desires, whims, and emotions control you.

So strike one against porn.

As mentioned before, pornography can also create false realities and false expectations. People can come to have false expectations of their own sex life as well as be less satisfied with it themselves. Why only settle for your wife when you can also have a piece of everyone else? Of course while this may be virtual, the body doesn’t know that. Only your mind can tell the difference and even then the mind can trick you into believing otherwise. Reminds me of the phrases “Thou shalt not commit adultery” and “…thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife,…”.

Strike two.

Pornography also usually leads to masturbation or is used in order to masturbate. This act is especially detrimental towards men mostly because it robs them of their potential. When men masturbate, it actually lowers their testosterone levels. Note that this happens when you masturbate, not when having actual sex. So in general, less testosterone means less confidence, less strength, and less motivational drive, some of the things that makes a man a man.

Strike three.

Pornography to me also represents of huge waste of time and resources. The people who work in the porn industry could make much better use of their time and money to create better things than pornography and as for couples or people who have sex tapes and such, I think that what they do in the bedroom should stay between them. It is rather screwed up that two people would have sex and perform sexual acts for a third party’s enjoyment as if it were a type of circus.

Strike four.

And finally, I think that having sex should be considered as an act that solidifies the relationship between a man and a woman and should be done with a certain sense of mysticism, innocence, and responsibility, not as a novelty or something done solely for pleasure (or for the pleasure of others). Pornography distorts this meaning to no end and it affects us humans psychologically.

That’s five rather large strikes now. Do I need any more?

So try to improve yourself and stop watching pornography. It will turn you into a better man.