shemirateinayim wrote on 07 Mar 2010 17:07:
I only learnt of shmiras einayim, through an interesting bit of hashgacha pratis, when I first hit ROCK BOTTOM 4 years ago. I had been surfing through the most vile shmutz online, trying to find anything that might still exite me. I tried various form of revolting contect, all sickening, but still capable of giving me a mild pleasure. Untill I snapped. I was discusted with myself and could not bear to see what had become of me. And in a life-changing turn of events, I found frumteens.com with their thread of GF, shomer negiah, and a reffrence to 'The Magic Touch'. Although I wasn't yet involved with girls, the book (or website) mentioned a teshuva in the igos moshe, about GF. I went to the beis medrash and looked it up..... uh oh! B"H, although I was about to while my hand was doing what it shouldn't, I made a kabalah to try being shomer einayim, even if I couldn't do it online. I looked for sefarim, and came-up empty handed. my yeshiva didn't have any sefarim to help, except for a little breslav one dumped on a shelf in the otzar. (Being the gabai sefarim, I knew the whereabouts and story behinfd every single one). I triedlearning it, and it gave me a good jump start. I looked for the halachot, but found nothing in the Shulchan Aruch, more than "any geder you set for yourself, has the paower of an issur dirabanan". So I set gedarim.
1. I could not longer walk down a certain street, I could no longer look at a certain house. No more looking around shul for a 'certain someone', and no more trying to flirt with her.
2. Do not look at women, any women.
It was very. very hard....gehenom. It physicaly hurt me to close my eyes, and I suffered umbearable agony to look away! But with the passing of time (months) I started to get the hang of it. I would firts move my eyes away, or focus them on the weave and pattern on the jacket of the person in front of me. I stopped eating-out, and locked myself into my yeshiva's building. I finnaly had my shmiras einayim under controll. I could eat-out (occasionaly) and not look at the hostess. Although in truth, it wasn't untiill half a year ago, that doing so didn't bother me.
But my battle was not to look at physical women. It has an issur of it's own...and you will shudder when I show you what it is (send me a PM to hear it). I never started bettling my hz"l and hirhurim...untill I found this site.
SO the best answer I have for you, is that in this area, I have toiled and pained myself SO MUCH, that I have no Y"H. And the story in gan hachayot still brings a smile to my face...... you should have seen HER face :D I wonder what she was thinking )what she was sayiong came-out in a disbeleiving stutter! ;D no exadurations)
I think that you are quite unbelievable. That you were able to gain control over your eyes is an incredible feat. I always feel that yes, I can control my hands (m…) and I can avoid places which will get me going or browsing the internet etc. But, control of my eyes!! No way, that is way out of my depth. So to me what you have written is pretty awesome.
shemirateinayim wrote on 07 Mar 2010 23:35:
I had an amazing realization today. That when I am enjoying the scenery of a park, or basking in the glory of the ribino shel olam's beutifull world, my first reaction is for hz"l. In my mind the two are equal, enjoyment=tayvas nashim. And it took me 20 minutes of implementing the steps to drill it into my head, youcan enjoy something, without acting out!
Yes, I know the feeling. BTW in SA chizuk email 363 by coincidence the same idea was discussed.
A while ago I started a thread with this same feeling which you actually responded to.
rehab-my-site.com/guardureyes/forum/index.php?topic=1477.msg41720#msg41720 My idea was that if we would focus on these experiences and post them, then we would be able to maximize their effects to replace and overcome the cheap sensuous feeling which we get from lusting. What do you think?