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FRAGMENTS OF A PRISONER'S DIARY
to-day to a great extent, not as the medium for the expression of emotions, but to hide or rationalise emotions.
Sexual attraction is a fundamental attribute of higher organisms. Thanks to the power of articulated speech, human beings invented a word for it-love. Eventually, the word "love" came to mcan all sorts of imaginary sentiments ; its real sense was lost in a cloud of hypocrisy and lie. The foolishness went to the extent of declaring that love is a spiritual sentiment ; to connect it with sexual attraction is to debase it. But however much hc may moralisc, man can never run away from his own shadow, so to say. Sex-impulse is a basic law of his or her being. It must be satisfied. As a matter of fact, the law of physical being is obeyed, biological necessity is complied with ; but it is done hypocritically. Man has become ashamed of himself.
The veil of hypocrisy which hides, and unsuccessfully tries to suppress, the natural inclination for the joy of sex-life, is again woven out of words. The word Brahmacharya occupies the centre of the travesty of hypocrisy. Under the prejudice represented by this word, the deluded honest are driven into a losing battle against the sovereign autho rity of nature. A battle that can never he won can be kept up only through the employment of sham, subterfuge and camouflage. One is obliged to practise lie and hypocrisy in order to purify his
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