"Purity Ring 3000"

Ever heard of the Purity Ring 3000? Of course, this video is just a joke, but imagine if it were true. Would the wearers always be on their extreme guard? Would men's magazines become obsolete? How many furry creatures would die a laser-light death?

Funny as it is, I don't think such a snazzy contraption can actually teach anyone what purity really means. Because purity is a virtue acquired by making a conscious decision to live it despite being surrounded by obstacles.

Here, let's put it another way: I read in a work of fiction once--one of those books from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire--about a religious order of women called the "Silent sisters." In the story, it is rumored that the silent sisters are all mutes, their tongues cut off as initiation to the order. But it turns out to be a myth, as one of the characters rationalizes, saying something to the line of: what kind of vow is promising not to speak when you already got your tongue cut off?

That's the beauty of freedom: it lets us choose not to. We have the resources to eat all the ice cream we want, but we don't because we want to stay healthy. We have the time to take it easy and only do what we feel like doing but we don't because we know how doing our work now will benefit many people. Obviously our choices make us who we are--by either making us grow in virtue or sink in vice.

Choosing purity is an exercise of true freedom--you choose it because you know it is good for you, even if it may be difficult, especially when lots of people tell you it's impossible. If you have constant recourse to prayer (and the sacraments), guard your heart, and uphold modesty, it becomes easier to stand your ground, sans the help of pseudo high-tech gadgets.

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice." - Wayne Dyer