Kedusha wrote on 01 Nov 2009 22:53:
Once a person has started slipping, he needs to deal with the situation that he's in, which is a difficult one. The key is not to slip in the first place.
Say, for example, that someone is having difficulty with impure thoughts. Although it's nothing to be proud of, it's not even considered a slip within the GYE rules. Or, he saw something by mistake, and looked away immediately. Again, that's not even a slip. But, now he's tempted to allow his eyes to stray, which will, at the very least, be considered a slip. Now's the time to post - before the slip occurs! Don't wait -once you've slipped, it's so much more difficult!
All right, I'm living through this right now. I
accidentally saw something online,
immediately covered it up, and quickly closed out of the website. The y"h is in a bit of a bind, because, according to both the Halacha and the GYE rules, this was neither an aveira nor a "slip." So, he needs to stretch the truth, something he's quite good at. But, let's get real, y"h: who hasn't accidentally turned on a light on Shabbos in their life? Is that a reason to then be Mechallel Shabbos b'Meizid? [For the record, I try to tape most of the light switches in my house before Shabbos, but I digress].
There is a difference, of course. In this area, the y"h has the power of an addiction on his side. For this reason, I'm sharing my experience with others, something that I would not have done in the case of a Shabbos mistake. By doing so, I hope that my friends on the forum will not let the y"h dominate the conversation! But, even if no one chooses to reply, my hope is that my getting the truth out in the open will will drown out the sheker of the y"h's arguments.
Remember: Just as alcoholics must avoid that first sip, we need to avoid that first slip!