The Fun and Useful Deadly Sin

Does lust always win? I guess it depends on what, "Win" means. If lust's victory means a person gives in to temptation, I think most people, if they're honest (and giving in to said lust is between consenting adults and no one gets hurt), want to lose. So, lust may not be undefeated, but I bet its winning percentage sits around 85%. Of course, lust can be found at the center of just about every human aspiration there is. Lust for money, lust for fame, lust for material possessions, sexual lust, and many other lust worthy desires can all be sated in benign or malignant ways. So, like so many aspects of human nature, lust is a two edged sword.

As a malignancy, giving in to lust can be deadly. The lust for power may create dictators who engage in genocide or murder to keep their power. The lust for money can lead to unethical if not totally illegal actions that can harm a lot of people. The lust for fame could lead someone to date a Kardashian, which could lead to fame, but it's more likely to lead you to a free clinic for some very strong antibiotics. The lust for material possessions can drive some people into bankruptcy. Sexual lust can be violent or life changing for families and relationships. Lust sated by sexual abuse of any kind is devastating and deserving of severe punishment. Lust given to in a noncriminal, but still harmful way can result in teen pregnancy, infidelity, and STDs. In this case, giving in to lust's temptation is more a matter of thinking with the fun bits than the brain. It is very preventable, but people get really stupid when sex is involved. Apparently, human genitalia has an IQ of 0.

Lust can be a great motivator and fuel for ambition. I will use myself as an example here. Growing up with a very noticeable disability made me a target for cruelty. I was picked on by a step-parent who told me all I was going to be was a burden on the tax payer as an adult. He felt I would never be able to take care of myself. Kids on the playground stuffed physical disability and intellectual disability into one cruel and ignorant package. I was often called, "Special ed" and other things that are now highly offensive to anyone with an intellectual disability. How did any of this result in lust? I developed a lust to prove everyone fucking WRONG! I had a job and was living in my own place by the time I was twenty. This was my, "Fuck Off and Die" to my mom's ex-husband's ignorant predictions. Being called those horrible names by kids on the playground made me see education in a new light. I would show them I may be disabled, but I would win any, "My academic record is longer and can satisfy your wife better than yours" competition Though I went to college late, I graduated Sum Cum Laude with a 4.0 grade point average at the top of the entire sociology department. That was my, "Get bent, you'll probably end up working at Walmart for your whole life, ya losers" to my elementary and high school tormenters. It doesn't matter to me that none of these people will ever know how I ended up. In the end, satiating my lust to prove them wrong was for me. I can now say, "FUCK THEM!" knowing that all that they predicted came to fuck-all-nothing. So, for me, lust was a good thing.

So, lust may be a sin with a darn good temptation success rate, but like so many other aspects of human nature, used correctly, lust can satisfy in more ways than one.