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Human Sexuality Jim Blessing September 1, 2013 In this section I want to bring attention to some very interesting observation I have made regarding “Human Sexuality.” Some of my thoughts may be quite different from most available information on this subject. I have a few unique concepts for one to think about. What part does the brain play in one’s sexual impulses and self-control‘? Human sexuality is determined by one’s genetic code through a process known as “epigenetics.” “Epigenetics” is where the genes regulate and determine one's sexual orientation which occurs during the fetus stage of human development. (See “Quarterly Review Of Biology” December 11, 2012) The DNA is the blue print that lays out the details of what the human will be like in physical appearance, personality traits, personal abilities and special talents, etc. One’s DNA can also determine many of the interest that one will develop in life. Environment does not play as much of a role in who we are as once thought. Environment does play a part but it’s the genes we carry that make many of these determinations for us. Environment plays a larger role in our choices of life—styles and habits we develop in life rather than those genetic characteristics that make up our individuality. Who we become is directly related to how we respond to our genetic characteristics. Sexual impulses are part of our genetic code. These impulses are involuntary and can not always be ignored or stopped from occurring. Due to the extreme pleasure sensations that accompany the act, the pleasure centers in the brain kick in and become flooded with the neurotransmitter dopamine that prompts desires to reward oneself with more sex. Dopamine has the power to greatly affect one’s judgment and one’s ability to evaluate consequences. Dopamine causes the pleasure centers to become active when one begins focusing attention on past behaviors that brought pleasure, either appropriate or inappropriate. When Dopamine floods the pleasure centers it causes the person to seek reward. Dopamine can also greatly diminishes one’s ability to exercise self-control. This is why some sex offenders may struggle constantly with their sexual behavior and conduct. A sex addict is literally being controlled by the pleasure centers in his brain. Sexual orientations are determined before we are born. These orientations can not be changed. Our sexual orientations are part of who we are but it is what we do with those orientations that become our “learned behavior!” It is this “learned behavior” that can impact one’s pleasure centers in the brain which when flooded with dopamine can seek reward. If the “learned behavior” is inappropriate, the ability to exercise self-control is greatly diminished in the presence of dopamine. This is why a person is much more tempted by what he has experienced than by what he has not experienced. I Sexual desires are created by the genes in the chromosomes of the male and female. These desires will be directed according to one’s orientation. It is important to understand that a person’s orientation can be evident long before puberty. Unfortunately, the popular belief is that a person’s orientation is determined during the puberty stage of development so consequently a person can influence his sexual orientation through experimentations and curiosity. However, this experimentation and curiosity may be caused by one ’s orientation. There is often a lot of confusion among gay individuals who have concluded that their 1 homosexuality was caused by learned behavior as a result of experimentation. However, the truth is, it was their orientation that led to their curiosity and experimentation. If a person is heterosexual and experiments with homosexuality, once puberty is reached, most likely there will be a loss of interest in same sex behavior. A person can usually look back to their growing up years and recall those things they saw and felt regarding sexual matters and determine what their sexual orientation was from a very young age. Usually the interest generated during prepubescence is either toward the male or female and sometimes both; many males find interest in exaérmination with other males until the reach puberty. What takes place in the body during puberty? If one’s orientation is heterosexual he will lost interest in same sex behavior. If one’s orientation is homosexual his attraction and interest for the same sex will only get stronger and interest in the opposite sex will lesson. The genes that control sexual impulses are turned on. Before this, they were turned off. This is not to say that a child can not experience sexual feelings before puberty. A child can and often does. But it is when the genes for pro-creation are turned on that these sexual impulses become a force that must be brought under control. Sex was created for one purpose and that is for pro-creation of the species. Furthermore, there would not be many of us on earth if sex did not feel good. It is the pleasure associated with sex that is the driving force behind the impulses. During puberty, sex becomes more than feelings of pleasure; sex becomes a need. And this need is rooted in nature as “survival of the species.” These pro- creation genes are turned on during puberty and grow stronger and stronger during this stage of development. It is during this process where a person, male and female, become fertile. Therefore, as humans, we become sexual beings that are driven by desires and impulses for sex. All these feelings, impulses and desires which are turned on during puberty are for one purpose; the pro-creation of the species There seems to be very little information given or taught on human sexuality. Consequently, sex is only thought of in terms of pleasure. Ask any adult if they were taught that the feelings and impulses they were experiencing at puberty were due to genes being turned on for the “survival of the species” and most likely they will say no. However, they do soon become aware that the act could result in a pregnancy but there is little understanding of what is prompting these impulses and the fact they are normal. I think teens, if they truly understood this process, could exercise better self-control if they knew what they were feeling was their pro-creation genes at work simply doing their “j ob,” the survival of the species. The pro-creation genes in the male produces an attraction for the female when she becomes fertile. In the animal kingdom this process is often done by smell. The male knows by the smell of the female whether she is fertile or not. If she is not yet fertile, she is usually ignored. In the human species the male recognizes the fertility of the female by sight. The reason when a male sees an attractive female, that meet his personal interest, he will pause momentarily and look, noticing her attractiveness. This would be consider nothing more than an attraction and not necessarily an arousal. If a heterosexual's genes are working properly he will find himself attracted to fertile females by “what he sees. ” This is natures way of drawing the male to the female. The female is not turned on by sight like the male. This is why females show little interest in pornography. It is during puberty when young boys begin to notice girls and find themselves attracted to them. Before puberty young prepubescent boys get irritated with girls 2 but that all changes when their genes are turned on for pro-creation. Therefore, noticing females and paying special attention to their physical features are simply in the genes of the heterosexual male. It is natural and normal. These pro-creation genes that get turned on during puberty does not make a distinction concerning age. The genes promotes impulses of desire based on pro-creation rather than according to a particular age. This is why a male who is thirty years old may find himself getting aroused when he sees a beautiful female well developed (and fertile) at only 14 years old. It is not because he is perverted. The interest is being created by his pro-creation genes! It is the job of these genes to pro-create the species, and is not concerned with what is ethical or inappropriate! The heterosexual male's genes sees anyone with the power and ability to pro- create as fair game. It is not uncommon for older heterosexual men to be attracted to younger females. This is especially true when the female is past puberty. It is interesting that a 12 year old girl is hardly noticed by older males but a year or so later, after entering puberty, she gets all kinds of attention. Therefore, the male genes, of pro-creation, recognizes a female's fertility status by what he sees. When recognized, the male may experiences sexual feelings and desires. For what purpose? lt’s the survival of the species at work. Age is of no concern to the male genes of pro-creation as long as the female is fertile. The heterosexual male must learn the difference between interest and arousal. Interest is normal but undisciplined interest can lead to arousal! It is when interest becomes arousal is where boundaries can and are often crossed. I believe it is important to understand that “sex” is natures way of guaranteeing the survival of the species. Just like any other “drive” it has to be disciplined and control. If not, the drive can become an uncontrollable force resulting in inappropriate behavior. This is where the “pleasure centers” in the brain can take over and control one's behavior. This process works for both heterosexual and homosexual orientations. Although the homosexual orientation can not pro-create with the same sex, the genes that control sexual impulses do not distinguish between orientations. Therefore, the genes promotes sexual interest and desire within the framework of one’s orientation. The homosexual can find himself attracted to fertile males just as a heterosexual is attracted to fertile females. The homosexual can find “love” and fulfillment in a same sex relationship just as a heterosexual can find “love” and fulfillment in an opposite sex relationship. Nature produces, with the sex act, bodily sensations unlike anything ever experienced in the past. This is the pro-creation genes at work, creating those pleasure sensations, attractions and arousals for the purpose of the survival of the species. If viruses have the power to control human behavior for the purpose of survival of their kind, think how much “more” powerful the force within us to “pro-create the human species. ” According to an article in ”The Atlantic" March, 2012, Kathleen McAulife writes, "Janice Moore and Chris Reiber, Biomedical anthropologists at Binghamton University, in New York, strongly suspected that the flu virus might boost our desire to socialize. Why? Because it spreads through close physical contact, often before symptoms emerge--meaning that it must find a new host quickly. To explore this hunch, Moore and Reiber tracked 36 subjects who received a flu vaccine, reasoning that it contains many of the same chemical components as the live virus and would thus cause the subjects’ immune system to react as if they'd encountered the real pathogen. "The diyference in the subjects’ behavior before and after vaccination was pronounced; the flu shot had the effect of nearly doubling the number of people with whom the participants came in close contact during the brief window when the live virus was maximally contagious. ’People who had very limited or simple social lives were suddenly deciding that they needed to go out to bars or parties, or invite a bunch of people over”’ says Reiber. 'T his happened with lots of our subjects; it wasn't just one or two outliers. ’ ”Reiber has her eye trained on other human pathogens that she thinks may well be playing similar games, if only science could prove it. For example, she says, ’Many people at the end stages of AIDS and syphilis express an intense craving for sex. So, too, do individuals at the beginning of a herpes outbreak...She wouldn't be surprised if these urges came from the pathogen making known its will to survive. "We ’ve found all kinds of excuses for why we do the things we do, ” observes Moore. "My genes made me do it,’ my parents are to blame.’ I'm afraid we may have reached the point where parasites may have to be added to the laundry list of excuses. " ' If viruses and parasites can enter us and take such control over our behavior in order to fight for their survival, how much more can we expect our genes to turn on all its resources for the survival of our species! There is one word that is often mis—understood, that the word “love. ” I am referring to the feeling or the emotion a person develops for another human that causes them to want to live with that person in a marriage relationship. The stronger a person’s sexual impulses, the easier it is to ‘fall in love” when they meet that person that conforms to their preferences! (Like those who claim, “It was love at first sight!”) This feeling that we call “love” has its root in one’s sexual orientation. A heterosexual can not experience the depth of love, compatibility and oneness with a person of the same sex and the homosexual can not experience this depth of love, compatibility and oneness with a person of the opposite sex! Complete emotional attachment for another person can only be experienced through one’s sexual orientation. I am refereeing to the type of love that attaches itself to another person where they feel they can not live without that person! Unfortunately, many homosexual men get married believing by doing so they can change there sexua1ity._ But they soon become disillusioned and unfaithful. A married man who must find sexual release and gratification with another man is NOT a heterosexual. According to research, most men who claim to be bi-sexual are either gay or straight, not both. Let me clarify this point. I am gay but I was married 40+ years and practiced heterosexual behavior. However, it never changed my sexual orientation but I did learn how to have limited heterosexual behavior. A man may engage in homosexual behavior and think by doing so he is a homosexual. This is not true. Either one can become “learned behavior” and not an orientation. The sex drive plus the pleasures associated with the act make for a Very powerful force Within human sexuality. Governments and religion often determine many of the standards for sexual behavior Within that society.
