Concupiscence... ever heard of it?
I will get back to that big word in a minute but first just a follow up from last week's part 1...
I know the focus of my writing is typically going to be about Relationships in general but for a moment I want to first address Dating although it can still apply to most types of relationships. In my experience now being "single" again I've noticed a strange phenomenon...
For some reason I hear about it time and again from both Men & Women as well that when someone wants us, we often don't want them. Likewise, the ones we want often either don't want us, are not ready, or are not available for some reason - why do you think that is?
Now back to Concupiscence for those who are interested... this word comes from Latin and is usually defined as a strong desire, many would like to say a sexual/lustful one but I think sensual is more is appropriate because the focus on sex is short sighted in my opinion and our culture is saturated with it . Concupiscence is often seen as the beginning of desire or the tendency to Sin in theological circles. Side Note: I do not wish to get into a discussion on "Sin" here because this concept is understood differently by so many people. However, my hope is just raise questions for us to consider for ourselves and how we can be better in our relationships.
I say sensual is a better application because it is in gratifying our senses that often shows our struggles with self control. It can be physical (sexual or food), psychological (drugs, alcohol), emotional (codependency, gambling), etc. I like St. Augustine's explanation he tells a story about his neighbour's Apples (ironically) in his book Confessions. I think; it could be understood as the desire to want something that's not ours and or, we don't really need. Usually, this is in the form of "coveting" like food that looks good even when we are not hungry or that belongs to someone else -on a basic level.
Lust is often tied to this whole discussion but our understanding is often limited to the context we usually hear it in and our saturated culture I mentioned before. The definition I learned that has helped me a lot is; it is taking a Natural/Biological need such as the need for food or to eat and filling it with Unnatural desires such as overeating or unhealthy eating.
I introduced this concept just wondering if it is a major motivator behind the things I have written about in both last week & the 1st half of this Post. I know personally I have struggled or experienced all these things in some way at different times in my life. Therefore, I honestly look forward to hearing your thoughts/feelings on all this.
Please share and comment if you feel moved!
Sincerely,
KK.
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