Wow, Shan, that was powerful! Thanks for sharing it.
What seems to be coming out clearly is that "prostitution" is a very
wide area. Those of us who oppose it think of the narrower focus,
the impersonal ten-minute job for a definite fee. That feels very
different from the older, non-Western forms of prostitution, geishas,
temple prostitutes etc., as well as from some other modern forms
of casual sex that you referred to. (I have had casual sex too, in
the sense of short relationships built on attraction and need for
companionship - I think such relationships have their rightful place,
often simply delightful and makers of great memories, and financial
implications are perfectly plausible in their context - but again,
there is a sense of "less-than-ideal" which comes out every time.)
The problem is perhaps the alienation aspect, rather than the
financial aspect. Or more precisely, the financial aspect IS
alienating. It loses its sting only in a longer-term liaison where the
human aspect (mutual affection, understanding, respect) or another
aspect, such as the Tantric one you mentioned, predominates. (Or
even better, when the original motive for the relationship was not
financial).
Barbara
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