There's a lot to be said about the old fashioned ways. The way gentlemen and ladies interacted in the past, the social decorum, the etiquettes of courtship -- I have always admired. Remnants of this can still be seen in many of the way of life of the Jewish and Muslim communities. Men and women (those who do not share blood relation or are married to each other) do not have physical contact or speak to each other needlessly. In the Quran, men and women are advised to 'lower their gaze and guard their modesty'. When they see women or men who they find attractive, they shouldn't stare. There is a clear and logical call for modesty and emphasis on maintaining chastity.
Sounds prudish? Yes, by current societal norms. But most religious books and traditions call us to look back and remember the ways of life that we've been guided to in the past. Forgetfulness is a built-in human weakness and so is entropy, be it physical, moral or spiritual. It takes a measure of awareness, some degree of reflection and a dose of humility for a person to come to see this fact. And even then, it takes self-discipline to keep ourselves within the boundaries of propriety, because let's face it, our 'lizard brain' knows it's always more fun to 'misbehave' and satisfy our immediate desires.
Granted, it does not mean to say that these old fashioned ways automatically guaranteed no hanky panky went on between men and women back then. But the social contract that existed then meant that things like adultery and fornication that take place in a community is met with shock and dismay. These days you read about it and see it on TV and most of us just shrug it off as the norm of the times. Makes you wonder what it will be like for our children and grandchildren give another couple of centuries down the road.
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