Chastity: Its spiritual and mental benefits to students

A Ghanaian social scientist argues that students of the years gone by (from the colonial days up to the late 1970s) were more serious and more studious, and refrained more from sexual escapades than modern-day students.

In other words, he considers the moral lifestyles of most modern-day students more detestable, especially in matters of sexual activities; and this has led to falling standards of education in several students. He maintains that it is only those who have good moral behaviour who make high-class academic grades. Yes, this last conclusion is true, even though some amoral students may argue against it.

Certainly, bad sexual behaviour or thoughts, and practice of sex affect the learning process and the spirituality of the student. Whenever a student is in love or relationship, his or her mind becomes preoccupied with thoughts about his girlfriend or her boyfriend. He thinks about what to do to please her during leisure hours, how to get her some money or dress or shoes; where to meet her for sex, and so on and so forth.

The lady student in love similarly thinks about her boyfriend -how to meet him and where, how to confront the rival lady whom people suspect to be in competitive relationship with her boyfriend, and how to get rid of such a lady! All these thoughts can keep bugging the student's mind to the extent that he or she might fail to listen to the classroom lectures, or even read -attentively! Lack of concentration becomes even worse when his girlfriend (or her boyfriend) might have wronged him (or her) so painfully.

In this case, the student's life becomes sour or tasteless and hopeless. Without doubt, the student must have forgotten his or her one objective of seriously studying to pass the exams with honours, in order to bring glory to his or her parents or wards!

Campus life is always full of thrills when thoughts are centred on what 'stuff' has been taught or read or researched, and how to better one's academic performance or achieve better results. All this can best be done if the student takes away his or her mind from sexual affairs and determines to practise chastity or to abstain from sex!

This is not an impossible thing to do. It is quite possible. I practised chastity throughout my elementary school days, throughout my two-year working days as a pupil teacher and throughout my college days, and that gave me more and more intellectual vitality and brilliance; and absolute peace of mind to study hard because I had no girl-friend worries to engage my mind. In fact, I was on top of most of the subjects that were taught us, and I swept several prizes each year.

The hidden truth is that the 'fluid' which a man ejects (or woman secretes out) during sexual intercourse is a vital force, a really spiritual power which, if directed to 'burn out' in studies or in prayer, works or generates more knowledge or miracles.

If someone dissipates or 'sprays out' this divinely-empowered fluid in useless pre-marital sex, that person loses a lot of intellectual power; but if he conserves it in his body, he becomes more mentally and spiritually powerful.

It is this secret which made Jesus practise chastity, and St. Peter (even though he had a wife) became chaste alongside the other apostles including St. Paul. Mahatma Ghandi who fought for independence for India, adopted chastity as the best option for mental and spiritual power, even though he had a wife. Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana chose to adopt chastity as the more powerful spiritual way through which his struggles for his nation's independence could be successful. He married lady Fathia of Egypt, after he had attained his objectives of 'freedom for Ghana'.

Chastity makes a person achieve his highest goal in life and enriches him with highest blessings in his ventures. Christ calls a chaste person 'an eunuch', and insists that one should become 'an eunuch' to attain the highest point in all one's endeavours. He says: '. . . . . . . . . And there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake' (Matthew 19:12). Figuratively, 'the kingdom of heaven' is the highest goal.

And the charismatic writer, Catherine Ponder, reemphasizes the same thing about 'chastity', as she says: 'sexual energy is also brain energy and emotional go-power. Many outstanding achievements have been made by men and women who turned their passion (sexual desires) into intellectual and artistic efforts'. Over to you my dear young students!