Key West Lou / Kissing

By Louis Petrone

Kissing.

A pleasant pass time. Quite enjoyable.

Anything so popular and good is not without its detractors. There have been persons and institutions who attempted to ban kissing.

At the beginning of civilization, men would sniff and smell each other. People were identified by body odors.

At some point in time, the heads slipped during the smelling process and lips touched. Kissing was born

Early kissing continued to be part of the identification process. Romantic kissing did not come into existence till around 1,000 B.C. India its birth place.

The first identification of kissing as romantic pleasure was contained in a poem. The poem was written by an Indian poet, Mahabharta. He wrote, “She set her mouth to my mouth and made a noise that produced pleasure in me.”

Alexander the Great conquered the known world at his time. Kissing was a big deal in certain of the middle east countries he conquered. Romantic and sensual in nature. Alexander and his men enjoyed the experience so much that they introduced kissing through out Europe.

By the time of Julius Caesar, Romans had become big time kissers. Historically described as “kissing fools.” The Romans especially enjoyed “soul kissing.” The soul kissing of Caesar’s time being the French kissing of today.

Emperor Tiberius did not like kissing. Leprosy was a problem during his reign. He believed kissing caused the transfer of leprosy from one person to another. Tiberius banned kissing.

The ban was ineffective. People enjoyed kissing too much.

The biggest romantic kissing killjoys were the Christians. Sex has always had an evil connotation of sorts in the Catholic Church. Pope Clement V in 1312 decreed sensuous kissing a mortal sin: “Kissing done with intent to fornicate is….a mortal sin.”

There had to have been a lot of new sinners following Pope Clement’s declaration. Kissing is a prelude to sex. Part and parcel thereof, also. It is difficult to have one without the other. It also makes sex more fun.

From Pope Clement V forward, the Catholic Church sought to ban romantic kissing. Just as some Christians of today would ban pleasurable sex.

Interestingly, the missionaries to the New World are credited with the spread of kissing here. It is humorous to learn that the early missionaries were responsible for spreading kissing, as well as the word of God. For what ever reason, they encouraged those they sought to convert to indulge in kissing. Perhaps as an inducement to conversion.

There is a corollary between yesterday and today. Just as early law makers and the Catholic Church failed to effectively ban kissing, today’s politicians and Catholic Church will similarly fail with regard to pleasurable sex.

Kissing is the All American sport. Actually, a world wide activity. Pleasure without cost. Both sexes enjoy. Absent any death causing malady spread by kissing, it would be impossible to do away with two pairs of lips meeting. On that, you can make book..

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