For once, it was refreshing to see a local newspaper shedding light on pornography addiction and its possible repercussions on our society. 

However, the concern is that we will quietly read the article or maybe talk to someone about it, and that’s the end of it. This is most likely to happen because it seems trivial and because we may not have been personally adversely affected by it. However, this is nothing more than a reflection of what society we have become today. A performative society that is all about impressive presentations, political correctness and optics, while the lives of those affected languish in emotional and mental turmoil.

The fact of the matter, whether we are aware of it or not, is that we are co-creators of the life we live today and in the future. Understanding this, we would know that any issue, concern or action that affects a great part of our society would also affect us directly or indirectly, and so, we too pay the price in one way or another.

Studies have been done over the years, former porn-stars or porn addicts have shared their gruesome experiences, and renowned world-class psychologists have rung the alarm on its dangers, yet nowhere do we see it appear in the general health agenda. 

If we truly care about our health, we should be as holistic and honest as possible. If we continue to be selective in our approach and turn a blind eye to certain aspects because they clash with our belief systems or values, we become equally complicit in the consequences.

Of course, this does not necessarily mean nothing has been done, but the fact that the situation keeps getting worse rather than better may mean we need to go back to the drawing board. Maybe instead of merely giving information and awareness messages, we need to be frank about the root causes. 

For instance, we live in a society where alcohol abuse is rampant and normalised, yet no one talks about it or seriously takes a vuvuzela to address it as a serious health matter. If such is seriously addressed, the less sick society we become, and resources allocated to health could be diverted to other national development matters. There is also no doubt that alcohol leads to other subsequent activities and behaviours that also adversely affect society’s mental health. We cannot normalise a pleasure-seeking and overstimulating culture and expect not to pay a price for it.

This is probably the best time to live in the world, in comparison to what our forebearers had to deal with. One great advantage is that we have information right at our fingertips, and with this access, we could transform our societies for the better if we truly had the will. 

We have social media tools that have revolutionised how we communicate, but instead of using them to create movements that can easily address issues such as the mental health crisis in our midst, we use them for malicious purposes. In fact, interactions on these platforms have become insensitive and reckless, with no regard for others’ mental well-being. 

Until that becomes part of the discourse about mental health, everything else is nothing more than performative political correctness and content creation.

*Uncommon Sense is published in the New Era with contributions from Karlos Naimwhaka. YouTube channel: Karlos Lokos.

– karlsimbumusic@gmail.com