Sexuality

Element IV: The Human Being

The word sexuality is used today to refer to the whole person including his or her thoughts, experiences, learning's, ideas, values, and imaginings, as these have to do with ourselves as males and females. Your sexual self is your whole self as a girl or boy or a woman or a man; your sexual feelings are feelings that have to do not just with your physical self, but also with your role in life as a male or a female and the relationships you will have with people of the opposite sex, and your own sex at any age. Most of these relationships will be with you, the inner person and will not involve physical sexual relationships.

Physically expressing your sexuality with the one you love is a very important part of being a human being and there are many wonderful things to learn and experience about this way of expressing ourselves. But in comparison with all the many other ways in which we express ourselves as whole human beings, including our sexuality, the physical expression of your sexuality is only a part of expressing your sexuality with people in the world around you as a male or a female person.

Sexuality is much more than just the special time when your body has reached a certain stage of physical maturity to be able to reproduce and have children. This physical stage when your body is becoming sexually mature is called puberty. But puberty is not the stage in your growth as a human being when you have become a man or a woman or that you have yet become sexually mature. There is still much growing to take place in your inner person and in your body before you are ready for the all the responsibility that comes with sexual maturity.

Sometimes this can be very confusing because your body feels ready and you are experiencing the inner feelings in your emotions and the urges of sexuality in your body as it matures. Every human being and most living creatures on earth all go through this incredible time. Because we all had to go through it before you -- otherwise we couldn't have grown up, we know exactly what you're feeling... Everything all at once! It's completely natural we're made that way!

But, until you are sexually fully mature, it can sometimes be difficult for others to explain what being sexually mature feels like and why it is so important not to have sexual relationships especially when feelings you might be experiencing are so strong. We understand. This is a great time to talk a lot about it with your family and other responsible older people who will respect your privacy as you go through this very important time in your life.

Understanding is the key to developing your sexuality as a young man or a young woman so that expressing your sexuality for the rest of your life will be as fulfilling as all the other ways of expressing yourself as a human being.

Return to Element IV Index: The Human Being

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