Purity

1) Freedom from adulteration or contamination
2) Freedom from immorality, esp. of a sexual nature

When I think of purity I see white. Roses, dresses, sheets, curtains... white. White everything. Children, little girls, laughs, smiles. Pure. Purity, of course, is usually thought of in relation to sexual activity... whether or not you maintain a state of sexual abstinance; do you still have your virginity? So once this is tarnished I guess you're not pure any more. So what are you? Dirty?

I don't like to think so. I think it is something that has happened, and while you can't regain it, it isn't something that should act as a hindrance upon your life. Presuming that you are not within a marriage scenario & therefore a "bad" person, you have lost your virginity to a boyfriend, an ex-boyfriend or a guy you just met; maybe a guy friend, only you know. That is what you wanted at the time, and sure, maybe it was a mistake,  but does it make you a bad/dirty person for life? No.

Beyond physical purity is mental purity.  For me this is more difficult to maintain, what with so much crap in the world these days & a heck of a lot of mental illness. I think purity is a state of mind as well as a physical thing and that this should be acknowledged. I'm not encouraging losing virginity and saying that it's okay as long as you justify it in your mind... I believe that it should be held onto for as long as possible. However, if it is lost "prematurely" then I think people should stop targetting and highlighting it as the end of the world. It's gone, it's not coming back, get over it.

Purity and innocence are tightly linked. When I think of innocence I think back to my childhood. There were no dirty jokes, no friends who'd stab you in the back if you turned for a second, no arguements, no boys to impress, no universities to suck up to. The biggest lie you told was that you hadn't taken those sweets from the jar. That gets lost over time and in its way, linked to virginity, but this isn't all about sex. I think we should hold onto our innocence, try to be trusting but not naive, loving but not used, helpful but not walked over.

This has been pretty fluffy and waffly... But basically I think you should define pure for yourself & don't let people make you feel like you're not worth anything.