GROUND ZER0, New York, N.Y.--Mar. 7, 2004 -- One doesn't often think of the Sentinel of Sexual Vigilance, but she is alive and well and helping to dramatically reduce teen pregnancy.
         In the New York Times today is a lengthy story about the shift in attitudes and outlooks about sex among teenagers.    One startling fact that seems to fly in the face of the media representation of teens is the degree of virginity that exists.

   More than half of all male high school students reported in 2001 they were virgins, up from 39 percent in 1990.   Among the sexually active, condom use has soared to 65 percent, and nearly 73 percent among black male students.
         The trends toward abstinence and protected sex are not as pronounced, reports the Times, among female students but the trends are along the same lines.   A decade ago, a national epidemic of teenage pregnancy was a threat to the domestic security of the United States.  
         Cultural moral decay among the youth of a nation is a sign the fiber of the nation is unraveling.  It is also a sign that Parents of Vigilance have been sleeping at their posts.

       Today's data suggests the Beast of Moral (Sexual) Terror has been put on the run.   And, that the children are becoming more Vigilant.   They are making the decisions to not have sex until marriage, and to use protection if they are sexually active.
          No one can pin the exact reasons for the dramatic shift in responsible behavior by the teens, who, generically and historically have tended to rebel against all forms of authority.
           I propose that Terrorism has matured them.
          To effectively fight Terrorism one cannot just be aware of Terrorism's three main ingredients--Fear, Intimidation and Complacency.    For example, the "Fear" of getting pregnant cannot, by itself, be a strong defense against the urges of sexual experimentation in a teen whose hormones are raging.    Intimidation can't either.   The forces of society itself cannot stop the actions of a young person who eventually rebels against such threats.    And, Complacency, or the idea that "it can't happen to me," or "who cares," seems to be a mantra for teens who sense their powerlessness in a world of rules and regulations.
           However, to fight the Beast of Terror, one must have the tools that exceed the intensity of Fear, Intimidation and Complacency.   This means that teens today must be drawing upon the Principles of Vigilance and tapping into Courage, Conviction and Right Actions for the benefit of the Children's Children's Children.    

           It takes a great amount of Courage for a girl to say "no," or a boy to stop.   Both are the case, according to the Times.  In in-depth interviews with teens in the Bronx and Harlem, the center of the pregnancy epidemic, the young people, and often the boys, are respecting the virginity of themselves and others.
           Conviction follows closely behind.   Not only are the kids able to say no when their bodies are screaming out the word "YES," they are sticking to their Vows of Sexual Vigilance.    They are waiting for marriage.
            Finally, they are respecting the life of a child that might result, by not bringing that life to bear when the parents are 12 or 14, or still in the early stages of high school.   They realize the burden upon the child, and are giving it respect by using contraceptives or engaging in abstinence.

        While there is no scientific evidence to support these presumptions, there is no clear-cut evidence that any single factor has shifted the attitudes of the teens.  One thing can be certain, however, and that is the kids are making the decisions about the future of their lives, and the lives of their partners.

            The Beast of Sexual Conquest has suffered a great blow.   If one were to look at the Beast of Sexual Conquest, he is nothing more than a Terrorist of Virtues.    He rips away the innocence of the child, and throws the child into a world that often crushes them with responsibility they are ready for--such a motherhood and fatherhood.
             The victims of the Beast are not only the teens, but the children they bear.
             By making Vigilant decisions, the teens have cut the legs off the Beast of Sexual Conquest.   Virginity has become the Shield of Honor rather than how many a teen has slept with.
             In examining the virtues of a society, often the teen population is forgotten as contributors to the future of a society's morality.    Currently, the facts are telling us that the teens of the 21st Century are Sentinels of Sexual Vigilance.    In essence, they will be true Parents of Vigilance because they are protecting the children of their generation from being brought into the world too early, with unfair and unjust handicaps.
            More importantly, they are establishing a strong moral base for their children, setting a fresh new standard of Courage, Conviction and Right Actions to be passed down to their children, and one that stands in opposition to the behavior of their parents.

          Often, children want a better world for their children than the one their parents gave to them.    If the actions of the teens are to improve the future, then even though their parents erred the error had benefits.    Fewer children will be subjects of the Beast of Sexual Terror or Unwanted Pregnancy.
           Perhaps it is time to draft a Vow Of Sexual Vigilance.
            It would be patterned after the behavior of our current Teens of Vigilance who have chosen to become Parents of Vigilance without having a child.  Their decision to wait until they are married and prepared to manage a family may be the greatest act of Vigilance of all, and it is all wrapped up in the word teens hate the most:  "NO!"

Mar 6--Sleeping With The Child Of Innocence