Literary Discussions

Suppose that only ONE person in the history of the world decided to take lifetime vows of celibacy. They might in theory be on all the host talk shows and write a book.  NEXT imagine that ever human being tomorrow took a vow of lifetime celibacy! The group action would be equivalent to genocide. The very first mitzvah (commandment) in the Torah (Genesis) is "be fruitful and multiply." But we see great prophets like Elijah and Elisha (Elias and Elisaeus) seem to have been celibate and monastic. Now we see the possibility that over-population may be a grave problem threatening human existence. The Neanderthal lived on earth for 400,000 years in a polity of anarchy and they were successful. The people asked prophet Samuel for a king to be like other nations and Samuel cautioned that a king might be a bad idea.  In those times no one had a notion of democracy or corporations.  Practical is whatever WORKS and as times and circumstances change then what works changes. As we grow accustomed to PRACTICAL good we become conditioned to view it as no longer a subjective relative good but as a moral absolute and we will cling to our moral habits even when they cease to be practical and successful. The values of 7th century Mecca and Medina (Yatrib) were an improvement then but they are now an anachronism. Images of people and animals are haram (forbidden) but now everyone watches television and uses cameras.