Eliminating Temptation: Wishful Thinking Or Reality?

"When temptations are very great or unduly prolonged,

most persons succumb to them. To devise a perfect social order

is probably beyond our powers, but I believe that it is perfectly

possible for us to reduce the number of dangerous temptations

to a level far below that which is tolerated at the present time.

A society so arranged that there shall be a minimum of

dangerous temptations—this is the end towards which,

as a citizen, I have to strive." --A. Huxley

Would any of you say that a world without temptation be

ideal or reasonable? Is it even POSSIBLE to rid of evil completely?

In the above quote, Huxley believes that though we will succeed by limiting

or completely removing temptation...Do you?

Imagine a life without temptation. Some would argue that this would

be a pointless, boring life. Some also don't

care. While others…we would be relieved. On a daily basis,

we are constantly bombarded with temptations, from cheating,

lying, stealing, and more. We do all things necessary to get what

we want, when we want. We are tempted to cheat on our significant

others or tempted to eat that extra candy bar. I personally

believe that temptation is a vice used against us, waging an internal

battle, causing torment and troubles. To escape temptation, we would

have to be out of this world, dead in the body. If it were humanly possible,

then I would love to be able to remove temptation, for temptation brings

sin (the wrong choices we make) to life. If I could be completely self-reliant,

fight out temptation, and never struggle, I would without a shadow of a doubt.

However, how can you can I, imperfect people, eliminate temptation?

We can't. As ideal as this is, I believe life without temptations is wishful thinking,

as long as we are living on this earth. However, I agree with Huxley. I believe

that we could benefit by trying to remove temptations, or remove ourselves from

potentially tempting, compromising situations.

Reply To Huxley

Sarah Parker

8/29/10

College Prep

2nd Hour (rough draft)

In the beginning of the essay, "Learning To Get Out Of The Way", Huxley

makes mention of the common belief of possessing an "inner light", that is

often held at bay and is "eclipsed".

Huxley also makes mention of pre-destination, or of election, in the sense

of how all humans are called to believe a certain way, but only a select few

choose to believe.

I believe that if taken in that sense, that we can indeed connect with our Creator,

or, our "inner light" can "de-eclipse and connect to its

divine source". Such as a spiritual person connecting to their deity.

I also believe that every major world religion or belief system

calls us out, but only certain people choose one way, and the others choose

another. One person may choose to follow Gandhi and the "path of enlightenment",

another person may follow Allah and the teachings of Muhammad, and the other

will choose to follow Jesus the Christ. In many holy books, there are instructions

to come and follow. Many will ignore and believe they are completely fine

on their own, but a few people will choose to be chosen.

At the end of the essay, Huxley makes mention of how humanity strives to

make the world a better place, but have fallen short. We fail to see greater needs, we fail to see how we can make an influential, memorable mark on history.

Huxley mentions that he believes that he, as an individual can help

make history better so we don't make the same mistakes over and over.

Humanity has suffered through extreme poverty and racism, such as world

hunger and the Holocaust. But what are doing, when half of the world starves,

and we as Americans have a plethora of food that we waste through annually?

With all the supply we have just in our country, we could feed the world! But we are

selfish. What are we doing when we ignore racism in our own schools and work-places?

We as individuals and corporately, can make a difference. Often-so, we can start

with baby steps. We can hold our tongues and embrace racial diversity, so we

can help avoid a future Holocaust, part 2. We can stop gorging and being

gluttonous, but instead, make do with what we have, while giving the rest

away to those with real needs.