Moral blindness or desperate response to reality?

By Mairos Mubvumbi

Some recent events like the carnival with its salient feature of nakedness; the distribution of the male sexual enhancing drug, Viagra, at rallies; and the suggestion to allow pupils aged 16 to use contraceptives in their sexual escapades have raised eyebrows among Zimbabweans.

Some, who strongly condemn these propositions, are of the opinion that these things are indications of how low the nation has sunk in terms of moral decadence. Others view these things differently as desperate but commendable responses to the real situation on the ground.

Moral blindness

Moral blindness theorists believe that when evil is called good and good is called evil, know that such a society has been struck with moral blindness. Regrettably, what we once used to hear happening very far in the western world and we condemned it, is now happening here and we seem to be embracing it with both hands, they argue.

We are currently witnessing, with folded hands, our nation plummet into unimaginable moral decadence. A nation which once had an enviable moral stance rooted in our strong cultural values and Biblical principles is fast losing its moral bearings.

Moral uprightness is fast being replaced by moral decadence. There is neither the fear of God nor the respect of our cultural values anymore. Where are we going morally?

We could be consciously or unconsciously gliding towards a place like the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah or Babylon where nudity and sexual perversion were almost the only pre-occupation on everyone’s mind and the order of the day. The problem with getting to such a place is that you would be within reach of God’s wrath.

In other words, the moralists are saying that it was not morally good for the country to invite the Samba girls from Brazil because their nakedness is against our general cultural values and biblical principles.

Desperate response to reality

Proponents of the desperate response to reality school of thought are a bit more of thinkers, agents of change and solution finders. The following is the rough content of their thinking: Let us get real here; we have challenges as a nation and everyone knows it. We need money. And who is not aware of the cash problems we have?

So there is nothing wrong if we invite people from other nations who bring in the much-wanted cash. Distribution of male enhancing drugs at rallies is right if those are the places we find the men. After all, there is demand for them and why not freely give them so as to attract as many supporters as possible?

Besides, many ladies are complaining of being left unsatisfied, so when men are found in their numbers, that is the place to redress that problem. Moreover, men naturally want to have many ladies, so they need the enhancement anyway.

Young children especially teenagers are already engaging themselves willingly, driven by the desire for money and love and sex. So why not protect them from unwanted pregnancies and let them enjoy themselves without worrying about unplanned conceptions?

Permitting the use of contraceptives is not really introducing or leading these young girls to early sexual encounters or prostitution. They are already into it. What is being done by the use of contraceptives is protecting them from early motherhood so they can pursue and achieve their educational or professional goals.

Personal viewpoint

My viewpoint tries to balance the above two schools of thought and my suggested solutions which lie somewhere in the middle of the above-mentioned are guided by, firstly, the acknowledgement that we have cultural values and biblical principles to adhere to especially in the area of morality.

Secondly, I also recognise that we have serious challenges as a nation in terms of cash shortages, stiff competition for political strength and high risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies.

Thirdly, there is need to do more than praying to solve our challenges, but we should explore and exhaust all possible remedies before we resort to answers that are questionable and whose effects do more harm than good.

Fourthly, since we are not living in heaven, but on earth where there is no perfection, the reasonable intervention of the State is required and expected. But those who can meet the biblical moral values have a chance to shine in the darkness of this world and show others the way.

It is my own thinking that we could still promote our tourism and make some money by inviting foreign cultures and arts that share our cultural values. Nakedness is so unacceptable in our culture that even little girls are trained to sit cross-legged so that men do not see their panties. Biblically, nakedness is profane and shameful.

So most Christians felt they were invited to a wrong event. While free distribution of male sexual enhancement drugs serves to attract masses, the effect of the usage of such drugs can be very bad. For instance, such men may end up not being satisfied with their wives and look for other ladies fuelling domestic violence, prostitution and the spread of STIs.

Moreover, such drugs need to be prescribed by medical experts or else they can harm those who take them in an unworthy manner. As part of the State’s intervention, contraceptives can be given to those young ladies who have voluntarily chosen to indulge in early sexual encounters, but must not be made mandatory to all young girls lest those who initially were not interested in early sex may be forced to indulge in it.

For Christians, abstinence from sex before marriage is God’s moral standard. God does not lower His standards because we cannot meet them, but He urges us to rise up to meet them. Financial Gazette