More Promiscuous, Drunk Than Ever, but Are We Happier?

As G. K. Chesterton pointed out, ‘When you break the big laws, you do not get liberty; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws.’

A retiree plays electronic poker machines at the Randwick Labor Club in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 21, 2012. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

The World Population Review recently published a study that claimed that Australia is the second-most promiscuous country in the world.

Other research has shown that Australia has serious issues with problem gambling. Indeed, New South Wales is second only to Nevada as the “most gambling machine-packed“ state in the world.

In addition, the COVID lockdowns saw Australia emerge as one of the drunkest countries on the planet.

As a professor with over 30 years of experience in higher education, these studies ring true. Over that time in Australia and the United States, student culture has increasingly spiralled.

Substance use has also changed from most commonly involving alcohol and occasional soft drug use, to binge drinking and the use of hard drugs like methamphetamines and cocaine.

The effect of gambling on students has not been so obvious, but the availability of online gaming, and easily accessible gambling apps, are proving to be a trap.

But there is another question. Are these students any happier in the light of their sexual liberties and drug/alcohol use?

The answer is “no.”

A Miserable Generation

I have repeatedly seen lives ruined by bad relationships. This is especially true for especially young women who tolerate casual sex in the hope of a relationship that never works out.

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I have also witnessed too many young people in hospital for long periods due to their drug use.

The reality is that promiscuity and substance abuse make many people sick and miserable.

The problems do not only affect young people. Studies have shown that women and children experience far less domestic violence when they live in an intact family.

Drawing on data from the U.S. Department of Justice, researchers Brad Wilcox and Robin Wilson showed that, “Married women are notably safer than their unmarried peers, and girls raised in a home with their married father are markedly less likely to be abused or assaulted than children living without their own father.”

Similarly, research at the University of Pennsylvania showed that the majority of intimate partner violence occurs at the hands of boyfriends and girlfriends, not spouses, and that “these partnerships result in the most physical violence.”

Breaking ‘Free’ Did Not Result in Much Joy

Political correctness, and so-called “woke” ideology, are powerless to address these problems. The sexual revolution of the 1960s did away with the big laws that governed civilised society for centuries.

But, as G. K. Chesterton pointed out, “When you break the big laws, you do not get liberty; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws.”

The reality is that the sexual revolution has proven to be a failure. It proposed a rejection of the “big laws,” and it promised liberty.

Many people enjoyed a little illusory anarchy. But, instead of liberty, we have ended up miserable, and we have been crushed under the weight of the multiple small laws that are imposed, from above, by political correctness.

Everyone Seeks a Higher Purpose

As I reflect on the experience of people, I am more convinced that, at the heart of the human spirit, is an orientation to transcendence, or what we can call the desire for “something more.”

Humans are made to be never satisfied with the mediocre or ordinary. When people are dedicated to a higher cause, such as to God, a political cause, or family, those desires are channelled positively.

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But when that desire is channelled through things like casual sex, people will inevitably be frustrated and unfulfilled. They then try to fulfil themselves through ever-increasing numbers of partners, or new and exotic practices.

Perhaps that partly explains why young women at university complain so often that they are being pressured to tolerate sexual acts that are morally degrading and physically damaging.

At the same time, when people remain unfulfilled, and not able to reach for “something higher,” they drown their pain in alcohol or mask their pain with other drugs. And, as the pain becomes more intense, their use of alcohol and drugs becomes worse.

Paving the Way for More Government Control

It is interesting to realise that promiscuity, excessive gambling, and substance abuse also suit some people in power.

The reality is that having people “distracted” by such vices also paves the way for bigger government.

In his book “1984,” George Orwell prophesied that, “films, football, beer and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.”

It was no coincidence, then, that Australia earned “world’s most drunken nation” status during the COVID lockdowns, when government control was at its max.

That is all bad news.

However, the good news, as I wrote above, is that people are naturally oriented towards the transcendent.

If people realise the truth of the empty promises of promiscuity and other vices, they can find themselves liberated and able to reach for “something more.”

In doing so, they can not only experience genuine liberty, but also find true peace.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.