I was over at a friend’s the other day. He’s a real gamer, and we like to talk as if we are tasteful critics. Well, each of us has in fact devoted enough hours of study in the field of video games to be doctorate level.
But, that day he was showing me a game that was drawn anime style, led by a renowned Japanese artist. A simply beautiful example of what layered solid colors can accomplish. And of course, the characters were anime drawn kids.
Anime kids are special. The artist attempts to distill everything enchanting about childhood and represent it in one impossibly perfect entity.
I could appreciate them just as I did the scenery in the game. But then, I realized I was appreciating them just a bit more. That darn neural circuit! Whatever fiber of nerves makes me attracted to kids, I wish I could just surgically remove it.
Anyway, the anime got me thinking. It’s a coloring book for crying out loud! That’s all it takes to light things up in my brain?
It becomes so clear that sexual attraction is just an appetite, and not one that’s very refined. It’ll settle for whatever. That’s what I’m experiencing – an appetite – no more no less.
But I don’t want to make kids the object of my appetite. They are so much more as humans. As silly as it sounds, I don’t even want to make anime kids the object of my appetite.
Sexual attraction is what it is, but all sorts of evil happens when it’s allowed to consume people like food. Even for typical people, it leads to the terrorizing of men and women.
Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart.” When appetite leads, a crime against humanity follows.
At least some part of me wants to love children in the right way. Somehow, I even feel sentimental toward cartoon kids! They aren’t to be consumed by this stupid appetite.
Thinking of it like that helps set things right in my mind. And, maybe I can be on the side of the heroes.