Dave and I finally got serious about learning the halachot of Shmirat Einayim. We reasoned that you can't decide to just "be careful" in this area any more than you can just "be careful" about kashrut. You have to know the laws. So last night he came over to my house and we reviewed and discussed these four basic laws.
At first, these laws seemed overwhelming, but I can handle them knowing that we don't have to change overnight. Little by little, I'll try to integrate them into my life. So we started to learn. I committed the four basic rules to memory.
Wouldn't you know, I had a challenging test today. This morning, I walked into the conference room for a business meeting. Three of the six people in the room were women, and two of them were dressed immodestly. The laws were fresh in my mind, so I was immediately conscious of being careful where I looked. Knowing the specific guidelines made a real difference. I felt I was in control.
These e-mails are excerpts taken from the book "Windows of the Soul" by Rabbi Zvi Miller of the Salant Foundation.