Lust refers to excessive sexual desire. It takes many forms. All religions condemn sex outside marriage or adultery. Adultery involves disloyalty to one’s spouse. It violates the vows taken at the time of marriage. Hence, it involves a type of untruthfulness or falsehood. Breaking the bonds of marriage affect family ties, damage children psychologically and hurt family interests. Adultery therefore hurts one’s own long term interests and happiness.
Lustful men may sexually assault women. Such crimes are clearly violent. In addition, women also face sexual harassment in various forms. These incidents tend to remain under wraps. In cases of sexual harassment, men force their attentions on unwilling women. In this way, they violate the dignity and modesty of women. Responsible men have to cast themselves in the role of protectors of women. Social and official positions impose such roles on men. In many situations, women are entrusted to the care of men. Thus employed women have to be protected in work situations by their bosses. Their fellow workers have to maintain cordial but professional relations with them. Heads of office have to ensure that women employees are not subjected to unwelcome sexual attentions.
In recent times, many cases have surfaced in which young women have been sexually harassed or molested by those in authority above them. Such acts are reprehensible, and undermine the tender ties which should ideally exist between men and women. Further, they betray trust and are criminal acts. It is in this context that laws against sexual harassment at workplace have become necessary. Many feminists argue that men in positions regard exploiting women subordinates as an extension of their authority.
Suchbehaviouris a manifestation of power.Feministsalsoarguethat mentendto regardwomen as sex objectsratherthan as fellowhumanbeingswhodeserverespect.Victimsofsexual harassment face social stigma, even when they are not to blame. If they show the courage to file complaints
against the offenders, they have to go through traumatic court proceedings. Lawyers on behalf of the offenders, who generally are powerful individuals with political connections, attack the victim’s character.
The problem can also be traced to the changing social situation. The number of women in the workplaces has increased. Certain culture of permissiveness has permeated the system. People have come under the influence of Western culture and its permissive morals. Movies, electronic media and internet have also contributed to this trend. People scoff at the traditional virtues of feminine chastity. Many young men and women lose their moorings in this unhealthy moral environment. They consider it fashionable andchic to enterinto ‘relationships’instead of gettingproperly married. It is invariably the young women who end up on the wrong side of these so called relationships.
Some groups of people who fancy themselves as artists and intellectuals feel that ordinary morality does not apply to them. They feel that such morality only applies to unenlightened and ignorant masses. Given this mindset, they are too ready to take advantage of the young women workers (who often take jobs from pressing economic need) in their midst. When they are caught in such acts, they tend to portray the victims as willing accomplices. In a commonly used expression, they pass offtheir crimes as ‘consensual actsbetween consenting adults’.
No one however exalted or talented can claim exemption from ordinary morality. This point is brought out forcefully in George Orwell’s essay ‘The Benefit of Clergy’. Benefit of clergy refers to the special privileges and exemptions which Christian priests enjoyed in relation to their criminal offences sometime in the past. Salvador Dali, a famous Surrealist painter, has written in his autobiography about some obnoxious things he did as a boy. Either he or his admirers implied that Salvador Dali’s artisticgenius places him in a special category, and that those moral lapses, unlikethose of ordinary people, do not count. Orwell demolishes this view, and rejects the argument that artistic genius or any similar trait exempts anyone from common morality.
When some well intended efforts are made by police and voluntary groups, they are attacked for moral policing. Many activists oppose regulation of bars and night clubs and late night entertainment in the name of personal freedom. At the same time, they become vociferous whenever women are sexually assaulted. Of course, men have to change their attitudes towards women. At the same time, young women need to take ordinary precautions. Sexual assault is a crime which depends on circumstances. It happens when the victim is alone with no one around to go to her help. Women need to scrupulously avoid such situations. There may be situations when economic or other circumstances make women helpless. These are likely to be exceptions. Barring exceptions, women can take reasonable precautions. They should also avoid late ‘night outs’ with men under the influence of alcohol. They should go out only with men with whom they have long acquaintance and whom they can trust.
We have discussed lust in relation to sexual harassment. Some readers may feel that we have departed from the topic. However, lust is a topic which is rather remote from administrative situations. It becomes relevant mainly in relation to sexual harassment of women in workplaces whether in public or private sector. Lust in the form of sexual attacks on women is also a current issue. It is from these angles that we have briefly discussed the topic.
We have already discussed anger and vanity earlier. This completes our account of vices. Avoidance of vices is the negative aspect of morality. Often, avoiding evil is itself a virtue even if
one makes no effort to helpothers. Eschewing vicesgenerallyprevents harm to others, andennobles one’s character.
Uptill Now, we have discussed ethical qualities based on the pithy observations of great sages and thinkers. Now, we outline a few cases to illustrate the situtations in which ethical qualitiescome into play.
Case Studies