Love has always been humanity’s center of gravity. It pulls us toward altars and abysses, sonnets and sacrifices, Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss and Rumi’s verses. It is the force that builds cathedrals and crumbles empires. It is the poet’s language, the blind’s vision, the mute’s tongue, and civilization’s most sacred ritual.
Lust, meanwhile, has been its shadowed twin, branded as sin, locked in confessionals, whispered about in back rooms. Yet both are born of the same fire: the human hunger to be seen, touched, and chosen.Still, it’s the bastard son who inherits just the shame, not the inheritance. Evil’s doorway, sinner’s guilt, scar of the cursed, the weak’s choice.
They are not opposites. They are two currents in the same river, sometimes calm, sometimes torrential, flowing through the same body, the same soul towards the same direction. We can no longer ignore this collusion.In the past, poets mediated this tension. Now, it’s dating apps.
Swipes replace chorus. Algorithms curate chemistry. A pixelated smile stands in for the warmth of a hand held across a candlelit table. Virtual romance hasn’t killed love, it’s exposed its raw mechanics. The desire, projection, vulnerability, and the terrifying hope that this time, it might be real.
And yes, this new world upends old morals. Marriage is no longer the only container for intimacy. Monogamy is questioned, not out of recklessness, but out of honesty about human complexity. Ethics aren’t discarded, they’re rewritten in real time, by people navigating real longing. This isn’t decay. It’s evolution with growing pains. Remember the words of Heraclitus of Ephesus, “change is the only constant”
The Good, the Bad, and the Gloriously Ugly
The good?
Connection without geography. Queer souls finding refuge in digital closets before stepping into daylight. Widows, divorcees, and outsiders discovering they’re not alone. Validation for those who seek, adventure for those who dare, love for those who care, a getaway and a safe place for those who know the rules of the game.
The bad?
Ghosting as emotional laziness. “Situationships” that drain without nourishing. The illusion of endless choice that leaves us starved for depth. The ones with little regard, selfish, arrogant, unkind and disconnected.
The ugly?
Performative intimacy. Sexting without a soul. The commodification of bodies into thumbnails.Deceiving faces with terrible motives: the liars, the lost, the frauds, the ones who know few limits or respect basic decorum.
Yet even in the ugly, there is truth. Because to feel desire in a world that numbs us is an act of defiance. To risk rejection on a screen is to say: “I am still alive.”
A Space Worthy of Our Complexity We don’t need more shame. We need sanctuaries, digital and real, where love and lust can coexist without apology., without guilt and without burden.
Imagine a space where:
A woman can explore open-hearted non-monogamy without being called “selfish” A man can admit his vulnerability without losing his dignity. A couple can navigate virtual flirtations with honesty, not secrecy. A single soul can say, “I’m lonely, and that’s human,” without judgment
This is not fantasy. It’s the next frontier of erotic integrity.
Truth Lies in the Middle. Not in purity. Not in indulgence. But in the tension between. The same hand that sends a love letter can send a nude. The same heart that mourns a breakup can dance in a stranger’s DMs. And that’s okay.
Because we are not saints or sinners. We are human beings, stumbling through a fractured world, trying to touch something real, even if it’s through glass.
So let us stop shaming the collision of love and lust. Let us stop pretending virtual connection is “less than.” Let us instead build spaces, online and off, where desire is honored as wisdom, not weakness.
After all, the most sacred thing we can offer another is not perfection. It’s presence, even if it arrives in a notification.
Dhanuka
“Pleasure as sovereignty. Touch as testimony. Tantra as resistance.” Sacred Flesh
Dhanuka Dickwella is a distinguished Sri Lankan poet, author, and multifaceted professional whose work spans literature, geopolitics, and social activism. Holding a Master’s degree in International Relations, he has established himself as an expert in geopolitics and geoeconomics, fields that inform his analytical and creative endeavours.
His professional portfolio includes significant editorial and journalistic roles: he serves as the Executive Editor of The Asian Reviews magazine, a platform dedicated to bridging the literary worlds of East and West. Additionally, he contributes as a guest writer for the Chicago-based Armenian Mirror-Spectator, focusing on geopolitical issues in the Caucasus region, and as a columnist and guest speaker for Force, an Indian magazine addressing security and defense matters. Dickwella’s career in public service is equally notable. Dhanuka Dickwella is the Chief Coordinator for Canada for the Panorama International Literature Festival 2026. He has been actively involved in Sri Lankan politics, having served as a grassroots politician, political campaign director, and council member of a local government body in a rural Sri Lankan town. Prior to his political engagements, he founded and led a foundation dedicated to empowering youth and supporting underprivileged communities, reflecting his commitment to social equity. Currently, he advises youth groups on political activism and broader political trends, leveraging his extensive experience to foster the next generation of civic leaders. Beyond his analytical and political pursuits, Dickwella is a celebrated poet and blogger whose literary work explores the complexities of human emotion and experience. His debut poetry collection, Voices of Lust, Love and Other Things, showcases his ability to weave personal narrative with universal themes. An ardent climate and social activist, he champions sustainable development and social justice, driven by a vision of a better world for future generations. A proud Sri Lankan patriot, Dickwella is also a devoted father to his daughter, whose influence is a cornerstone of his personal and creative life. Dhanuka Dickwella’s diverse achievements reflect a rare synthesis of intellectual rigor, artistic expression, and civic dedication, positioning him as a prominent voice in both Sri Lankan and global contexts.
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