The human creature is an amalgamation of two opposing forces, soul and flesh, that fight with each other for control of the body. While the soul aims to join itself with God, the flesh is concerned with survival and enjoyment in the physical realm. The soul and flesh struggle to subdue one another when a person decides whether to sin or serve God. They often conflict over the libido when it is aimed at immoral sex since immoral sex is pleasurable but separates the soul from God. Though a soul that loves God will attempt to control itself and put away lustful thoughts, the libido is so compelling to the flesh that it will often overpower the soul's opposition. To defeat lust's pull on the self, one must intentionally strengthen the soul and weaken the flesh. In The Desert Fathers, the early Christian monks escape lust through self-punishment, isolation, and starvation, demonstrating that mortifying the flesh allows the spirit to master the libido.
Consider how the monks overcome lust by embracing pain. When a harlot tempts him to fornicate, one hermit escapes the libido's pull by burning his fingers. The hermit says, "People who do things like [act on lust] go into torment. Test yourself, and see whether you can bear a fire which is everlasting." He then "put his finger in the flame of the lamp and he burnt it, but he did not notice the pain because of the fire of passion within him" (46). Through burning his fingers, he gains a deeper appreciation for hellfire's torment and exponentially increases his motivation to escape it. Since his desire to avoid eternally burning in hell now overshadows his desire to indulge his sexual appetite, he finds the strength to subdue his lustful thoughts. Though physical punishments like burning can function as an effective deterrent from lust, simply contemplating hellfire's torment can strengthen one's control over one's appetite. When a monk bemoans that "foul thoughts [of lust] are killing me" (43), a hermit encourages him to focus on "the thought of death and torment, which is prepared in the next world for sinners" (43). Essentially, the hermit encourages the monk to focus on lust's eternal consequence, eternal torture in hell, rather than its immediate reward of temporary sexual satisfaction. Understanding that humans purchase lustful thoughts with hellfire removes one's motivation to lust. By enhancing one's understanding of the torment in hell that results from prurience, both the experience and contemplation of pain can effectively discourage one from lusting.
Second, consider how the monks wield isolation against lust. Since physical and visual stimulation trigger male lust, a man could effectively combat lust by avoiding women. In one example, a monk wraps his hands in cloth to prevent himself from touching his mother when carrying her across a river. He says, "A woman's body is fire. Simply because I was touching [her], the memory of other women might come into my mind" (31). In referring to a woman's body as "fire" (31), this monk indicates that hellfire will consume men who sinfully lust after the female figure. He avoids hell by avoiding thinking about or touching the female body. While physically removing oneself from women combats lust's physical stimulation, isolation can cut off lust's visual stimulation. When Sisois's disciple, Abraham, encourages him to leave his desert and go into the world, Sisois refuses, preferring the privacy of his desert over the world where women live (11). Knowing that the male brain draws immense sexual gratification from the image of attractive women, Sisois makes lust impossible by avoiding all women. Therefore, by isolating himself from women, a man can effectively evade lust.
Finally, starving oneself of food, water, or sleep can prove effective in combating lust. When questioned as to how he was able to defeat lust, a hermit replies, "The reason is this: ever since I became a monk, I have never taken my fill of bread, or water, or sleep, and because I am tormented by desire… I cannot feel the pricks of lust" (43). Since the human body needs food, water, and sleep to survive and does not need sexual gratification, starvation will cause the body to ignore its libido and urgently signal its need for fuel through pain. Though starvation is physically distressing, it is much better to starve than to lust— while starvation only causes temporary physical discomfort, lust can separate one from God. Ultimately, the monk wisely decides to trade lust and the promise of hell for a temporary loss of physical comfort. Though all forms of physical deprivation can train one’s control over the appetite, fasting often proves particularly effective. One monk writes, "Fasting is the monk's control over sin. The man who stops fasting is like a stallion who lusts the moment he sees a mare" (27). Any monk who has not practiced fasting or other methods of denying the body will, like a lecherous stallion, lust after any attractive female in view. The body makes its desires known through uncomfortable sensations like concupiscence to encourage its wielder to satisfy it. To defeat the flesh's sexual appetite, one must gain self-control by making a practice of denying the body. Ultimately, the uncomfortable practice of physical starvation serves as an excellent means by which to strengthen self-control and increase the soul's capacity to combat lust.
Like the Desert Fathers, Christians today often find the sin of lust to be a significant obstacle on the road to heaven. While other sins, such as debauchery and sloth, appeal primarily to the body’s need for energy, lust is especially enticing because it appeals to the body’s desires for connection and intense physical pleasure. Since sex is powerfully appealing to the flesh, many Christians will be unable to suppress the libido by conventional methods and fall into hell. Lust must be defeated, but it cannot be conquered by the will alone. Instead, one must aggressively buffet the flesh, weakening the body so the spirit can easily tame the fiery stallion of lust (27).
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