No Matter How Old We Are, We Love the Forbidden

When you approach the forbidden you experience an interesting and attractive mix of feelings. Discover everything your mind goes through in these types of situations.
No Matter How Old We Are, We Love the Forbidden

Last update: 19 September, 2021

We all like what we’re not allowed. In fact, we get an adrenaline rush when we do what we’re not meant to. Indeed, we feel rather naughty letting ourselves get carried away by these most human instincts. That’s because what’s forbidden implies risk and, regardless of how old we are, we like it.

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

-Walter Bagehot-

What’s forbidden is synonymous with going beyond your everyday boundaries. Furthermore, you enjoy it. In fact, even though you’re afraid of the unknown and what you think of as not being quite correct, you like to think of this as the kind of fear that you can control. That’s so long as what you do doesn’t reach the levels of addiction.

The boundaries between good and evil

As a matter of fact, we’re all fans of the forbidden. However, what exactly is forbidden? To work this out, you have to take into account what’s considered good and bad within the culture in which you live. For instance, in the western world, there are patterns of right and wrong that we all recognize and it’s from there, that you guide your behavior.

woman entangled in nets with animals

Mario Benedetti would say that we shouldn’t look at those worlds that are forbidden and closed off to us because they usually have a tremendous power of attraction. Indeed, attraction is the right word. We’re all attracted to what we can’t or aren’t allowed to have. However, most of the time we manage to overcome these feelings of attraction because they’re frowned upon or thought of as bad.

When this happens, it’s a good idea to ask yourself if someone really has the power to set those limits when it comes to things that, in reality, affect your life only.

In fact, if it makes you happy, who has the right to tell you it’s wrong? For this reason, it’s never too late to break those rules and to decide for yourself what’s right or wrong.

The pleasure of breaking the rules of society

The rules you feel you want to break are usually set involuntarily by the people around you or by other external means.  However, as a human being, you want to experience new things. This is how you get to know things, by being perpetually curious.

“It is never too late to cut the rope,

  to ring the bells again,

to drink from that water that you were not going to drink.

It is never too late to break up with everything.

To stop being a man who cannot

indulge in a past. “

-Benjamín Prado-

Nevertheless, from a young age, you’re told what you can and can’t do. Nevertheless, as you establish your own awareness of things, you realize that you also want to establish the consequences of them and determine to what extent you agree with them. That’s why you feel pleasure in doing these kinds of things. It’s because you’re being yourself and discovering your place in the world.

The forbidden: a fleeting sense of well-being

Melted apple

Once the forbidden ceases to be so and you’ve conquered it, the feeling that remains is that of fleeting well-being. It’s a feeling you’d like to experience again. It’s like that partner you once had, it’s like the food you love but don’t let yourself eat too much of …..

Having that partner or eating that food gives you a pleasure that often disappears once you have it. In addition, external moral parameters can exert pressure on you which makes you feel guilty and remorseful.

“We are impossible but here we are, being impossible together and leaving the impossible for any day other than today.”

-Anonymous-

What’s clear is that, as long as it’s not harmful to your health or those of others, you like the forbidden and you let yourself be carried away by it. In fact, it makes you feel free and alive. Naturally, you make mistakes, but you learn from them. Above all, remember that happiness will always be superior to the possible pangs of conscience that others may want to impose on you.


This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.