Wow this has been a very intersting topic to talk about. Many questions have come up and for me as your teacher that is great! I knew that many of you would have questions that deal with this very topic.
But what is the challenge of this? To understand the difference between sex and sexuality. That is the key to it all. Remember that sex is an act. Our culture, which is saturated by the media, use this term and sexuality interchangeably. Unfortunately, this is why there is so much confusion about the difference between the two. Again let me state it again: Sex is an act.
So what is sexuality? I wish that I could answer that question in one sentence. Unfortunately, as you know from our class disscusions this past week, it is not that easy.
Sexuality encompasses our whole being. Its our emotions, its our love for the other, its our freindships, its all of these things that make up who we are that begin to define our sexuality.
Jesus himself was person who was in touch with his sexuality. He loved everyone he met. He had strong friendships with his close followers, especially his apostles. The love he had for his parents was apparent in everything that he did. Even the love he had for God his Father was a part of who he was. It was all of this that made Jesus the person he was, although he was God incarnate, he was Jesus from Jerusalem, son of Joseph the Carpenter and Mary.
Jesus too leads us to another point of sexuality. He looked beyond the stereotypes the society he lived in placed on people. Part of sexuality of course is to go beyond the sterotypical idelas that our culture and society places on men and women. Men must be like this...and Women must be like this...it is this ideas that have kept many people from understanding what sexuality truly can and should be.
Coupled with this is the need to have a positive self image...this is intertwined with where stereotypes come from. Women must look like this...Men must do this...its these ideas that force both men and women to fall victims to false ideals of who they are.
When I asked the idea in class about how many of you are happy with how you look, not very many of you raised your hands. Was I surprised? No not at all! Why? Because who you are is still be being shaped. Unfortunately, many of you add the ideals of our society as to how you should look as factors in determining your happiness with how you look.
There is so much to talk about.
Needless to say...we are not done with topic yet...this is a disscusion to be contiued next week
Mr. R :o)
