Lust is a deadly sin

Several years ago, there was a movie about a shipwreck with only a few survivors who were left drifting aimlessly on the ocean in a lifeboat. Their rations disappeared in a few days and they were left deliriously thirsty under the scorching sun. One night, while the others were asleep, one man ignored his shipmates' warnings and gulped down some salt water. He was the first to die.

Ocean water contains seven times more salt than the human body can safely ingest. Salt water accelerates dehydration because the kidneys demand extra water to flush the overload of salt. In other words, the more salt water someone drinks, the thirstier he gets. Ironically, the man in the lifeboat actually died of thirst.

People who lust are much like that man in the lifeboat. They thirst desperately for something that looks like what they want. But they don't realize that it is precisely what they do not need. If they fail to heed the warnings that are associated with it, it can kill them.

Most religious and social teachings will offer guidance to us about issues like lust. They teach us to say 'No' to immoral and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright lives in this present age."