With the
modernization of the daily life of the individual, the practice of mechanizing and sterilizing everything in our working environment has carried over to our personal life as well. We have become a society of push button gratification. In the process we have lost our ability to enjoy our environment its self. Pleasure and amusement are sought and ingested like a drug or some violent action. The simple concept of passive enjoyment has been lost. If something is not actively, directly, and immediately interacting with us we seek a source of entertainment that is. Enjoyable
communion with a pleasurable environment is no longer seen as a recreational activity.
First I would like to make a point on the use of sexuality and sensuality. These words are all to often used to mean the same thing, usually that being sexuality. The term sexuality refers to an act, term, type, or embodiment of coitus; this also includes gender and gender preference. Sensuality unlike sexuality is also an opinionated subject. What might be somewhat sensual to one person might be extremely or not at all sensual to the next person. Where as sexuality is a set concept if not legal definition. What is sexual to one person is seen as sexual by anyone else, though maybe not appealing. Sensuality can be a part and or aspect of sexuality, but it is not relegated to being sexual. One can have a sex act without having anything sensual involved or about it. Just as something can be sensual and not have anything to with sexuality. An example of something being sensual but not sexual would be a shirt I own, its is made of a very fine cotton and is very light. I consider it rather sensual, however it is rather ugly and I would not think of it as sexual at all.
I have also found that the majority of people have not only removed platonic sensuality from their life, but they have removed exotic sensuality from their life as well. Much like the rest of the activities in their life they have mechanized their sex acts. This usually manifests its self in the establishment of a sex act ritual that is played out like a script every time so at the most physical pleasure can be acquired as quickly as possibly, with out regard to any “communion” or bonding between the two. An interesting example of a group, or subculture, that revels more in their sensuality more so that their sexuality are the Furries. The Furries are a group of people that revels in the fantasy of anthropomorphic animals. Their interests and expressions in anthropomorphism range from art to stories and even costuming. Though their activities are not relegated sole in either sensual or sexual matters they do combine them more often, better, and more completely than is often seen elsewhere.
Sensuality is pleasure for the soul, a spiritual play if you will. In a mechanized world sensuality is lost. We no longer pay attention to our emotional needs and our spiritual desires. People only look at things for their physical properties, even religion has fallen pray to this. One follows their particular tenets like a computer program so as a desired result will occur. The loss of sensuality in modern society is all reaching in its effects. It deprives us from living for enjoyment of life, but rather makes us live for the product of life. And what really is the product of life?