DY, very good points. Though I would say that in some circles, there most definitely IS a campaign to show that the internet is evil. And even in other circles where that isn’t the campaign, we see a common human characteristic, which is shifting blame when we don’t want to face an uncomfortable truth. For example, in many of those stories you posted about people who had made bad choices and didn’t take control of their yetzer harahs, there are some lines that portray this idea:
For one of the stories, the title is “How the Internet ruined me financially”. That title is very wrong. He HIMSELF ruined himself financially, by having a lack of maturity and responsibility, and the tool he used was the Internet.
Now, here’s a problem. You said “There’s a campaign to educate (in some cases, in very forceful ways), that it’s potentially dangerous, and must be treated as such.” Now, the people who didn’t yet know that internet can be potentially dangerous probably don’t have the internet. So they are probably clueless about using the internet altogether, for good or bad. So “educating” them strongly about the dangers it contains will most definitely cause them to believe that the internet IS BAD.
If I grew up not knowing anything about guns, and then my parent told me that guns kill people, and said countless stories that show it, I will think that guns are completely evil. That is NOT proper education. Proper education is showing, yes, guns can be used for bad, but they do have a positive side as well (and in the case of guns, it is for self defense, so it’s not exactly a good analogy), and showing the benefits of using a gun properly, and showing, and understanding, the downsides of using it improperly. That is real education.
I agree that we have a yetzer harah. That is the reality. But the reality is also that we have the ability to overcome it. And yes, you are most definitely right, having siyatta dishmayah is a key component in overcoming it. But we must make our OWN efforts, and yes, having filters is an effort, but a greater effort is to try to gain the maturity and responsibility to exercise self control. THAT is real effort. That shows Hashem that we are really trying, and in turn, Hashem will help us too in overcoming the grasp of the yetzer harah. But if we don’t have the confidence to even try that, then we’ll never get anywhere. So the confidence I speak of is, I don’t think, misplaced, rather it is a goal. It may not be where we are holding now, but it where we should want to be.
About the nisayon aspect, you are right. I was very wrong in saying that it doesn’t have to be a nisayon, because it IS a nisayon. I should have said “It doesn’t have to be an insurmountable nisayon. It can be a nisayon that we are able to deal with.” I think the reason I said that it doesn’t have to be a nisayon is because that is how I have been able to live my life. I’m not sure if you are aware of my family issues, though I mentioned them on a few other threads, but suffice it to say that I went through, and continue to go through, extremely difficult situations because of my father.
And the main thing that has kept me going is realizing how the situation I was put in is really ideal for me and the best way for me to grow to my full potential. So I am using my “nisayon” in a way that shows that it really isn’t the nisayon it seems to be. Rather, it is the best thing for me. Are there difficult times? Yes. But those difficulties continue to make me a better person. And I believe that is true with any nisayon. Yes, we shouldn’t run after them, but if we do encounter them, we should realize that it is an opportunity for us to grow and become more holy. And this idea is in one of your posts:
“We must recognize this uniquely personal nisayon as a golden opportunity. Perhaps more than in any other area of our Torah-based lives, the internet gives us the opportunity to display our love for Hashem and our determination to fulfill His will.
Each time a Jew holds himself back from visiting a website that he knows is not appropriate, from one wrong click, he is acting out his pure love and fear of Hashem. It is a moment to be tapped in to; a moment that calls out for reflection and prayer.
We are declaring through our actions: ‘Hashem, I am Your son! I love You and I want You to be proud of me! Help me overcome my yetzer hara, help me fulfill Your will!'”