Q Do you think it is unhealthy to repress sexual desire? I am surprised at this question just after a public ceremony promoting youth chastity. First, is a chastity movement a means to suppress sexual desire? It is a reminder of the necessity to preserve chastity to protect one's sexuality, body, esteem and interpersonal harmony? Chastity will prevent the side effect of simply satisfying sexual desire or curiosity: addiction to sexual lust, promiscuous intercourse and pornographic media, which usually cause harm like venereal diseases and interpersonal conflicts. Second, think of any teenager at the beginning of their puberty. They have to learn how to cope with their growth, plus communications with and commitments to the opposite sex. Parental care, moral guidance and proper interpersonal activities are vital to youth, rather than letting them satisfy lust. Ip Wai-man , Kennedy Town Human sexual desire is natural. In the context of the article, I would say it is God-given. However, we also live by choice, and how we choose to react to that desire is what makes it right or wrong. Visiting pornographic sites does more to hurt than to help. Sex education - be it secular or religious in nature - that helps young people understand their feelings while offering possible ways of dealing with those urges is surely one of the best ways to help. I do not believe that sex is wrong or dirty. Like so many other things in life, it's what we do with it that makes it right or wrong. Rennie Marques, Mei Foo Sun Chuen Q What should be done to prevent hill fires? Recently, I witnessed for the second time in less than a month a hill fire at Kam Tin. I learned from the news reports that the fire spread despite firemen's efforts to put it out. I was upset. I believe human activities are to blame for causing most hill fires. How many more trees have to be burned before we come to realise the importance of environmental conservation? Joyce Li, Tsuen Wan Q How should the old Stanley police station be used? The old Stanley police station should be restored to its former glory and used as a museum. This way we can preserve the historical monument and use it to display even more historical events and Hong Kong's history. It would also benefit the city's economy greatly, since Stanley is already a tourist attraction. Even more visits would be made by tourists to take a look at a little corner of old Hong Kong. Instead of driving the tourists away by making them pay at the door, how about opening a souvenir shop in a place where it doesn't block any part of the old police station? I am sure many tourists would want a souvenir. Besides visits from tourists, local schools and international schools could go on field trips there to learn more about our past. It would educate children about the city's history in a fun and exciting way. Matthew Chan (Grade 6), Deep Water Bay On other matters ... Today's teenagers are an extremely lonely generation burdened with all sorts of pressures from parents, schools and society. Parents, who work around the clock to earn a living for the whole family, are either too tired or busy to chat with their kids, leaving a huge generation gap between them. Teachers also have heavy workloads. Children's material needs are satisfied but their spiritual and emotional needs are largely ignored. To them, the reality of daily life is so boring, dull and dreary that they want to escape. Drugs give them a quick and exciting way to enter a fantasy world in which there are no tears, no loneliness, just euphoria and gladness. To save our youngsters from drugs, more care and support should be given by parents, friends and teachers. With a happy and fruitful life, no teenagers will try drugs. Steve Maxwell, Tung Chung As a visitor to Hong Kong, I had heard numerous unsavoury comments from friends and relatives about Disneyland, some of whom had not even visited it. Despite these rumours, I decided to go and see for myself and I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it may lack the size and overwhelming glitz of its Los Angeles sister, however my family, which includes a teenager and young child, had an absolute ball. As soon as we arrived on the Mickey MTR, we were surrounded by a magical atmosphere that transported us away from the daily chaos of life into that mystical land, Disneyland! We were wowed by the unexpected brilliance of the shows, in particular the dazzling Lion King performance; simply outstanding! Varying rides suited the whole family. The only drawback was the huge crowds on the day we visited (January 28), so we will have to await a future visit to finish riding them all. I will definitely recommend Disneyland to my family and friends, and Hong Kong should feel proud of its world-class park. Ada Cheung, Melbourne Pop star Jacky Cheung Hok-yau says he has been thinking 'about doing something for charity, but didn't know what' ('Cheung's efforts just the ticket for conservation', February 10). What a pity he never thought of practising a bit of charity towards his unfortunate maid when he hauled her to court recently, resulting in her spending Christmas and New Year in jail. Thankfully, she's now out on bail and one hopes this time a judge will cancel the harsh punishment she received for a petty misdemeanour. Isabel Escoda, Mui Wo
