Should the scientific community be allowed to bring an extinct creature back to life?

By Carina (Age 12, Chinese International School)

I believe that Neanderthals should not be brought back to life just so we can conduct research on them. Neanderthals do not fall into the categories of humans or animals, which brings up the question of how they should be treated and researched.

With regards to the living conditions, it would be hard to decide on where they should be placed. If they are placed in a room while being researched, it would be forcing them to go under psychological torture. To do research, you would have to force the Neanderthal to do something under surveillance. The Neanderthals would be treated as lab-rats for humans to learn more about them. Instead of placing the Neanderthals in a room, putting them into a zoo is just as bad. Even if they would be living in their natural habitat, they would be confined and locked up in a cage. Being in a zoo would also mean they would be treated the same way animals are treated.

The amount of freedom they are given will be very limited. Since the world is no longer what it used to be 30,000 years ago, they would need to be watched every minute of the day. They might be kept indoors for their whole lives for safety issues. Being new to the world, they could start destroying everything they believe to be hazardous. But if the Neanderthal were to be kept indoors and away from the world, then there would not even be a reason to bring it back to life. If it were allowed to be out in the open, it would be followed by someone at the same time being restricted from going to some places, and it would be no different from staying indoors.

The type of research done on the Neaderthal would be a benefit for humans, but torturous to the Neaderthal. Psychological research would be forcing them to do what they do not want to do. It could hurt them mentally, and it could even drive them insane. Surgical research would be treating them like their life is dispensable. Performing surgery just to know more about them could kill them, then the amount of money funded for this research would become a waste. To us it would be gaining more knowledge, but to them it is torture against their will.

To prevent any abuse to the Neanderthal, I believe it would be better if we do not tamper with their lives, rather than to create them just to torture them.

Why underage children drink

By Ivy (Age 13, Chinese International School)

Underage drinking is an expanding problem for countries all around the world. Personally I do not understand the point of underage drinking; alcohol tastes quite horrible and is detrimental to a child's growing metabolism. Just because I don't drink doesn't mean other minors may not drink. In the United States, research shows that 11% of the alcohol consumed is by underage drinkers. I think that some minors may drink because it is their perception of being "cool", their parents' behavior, or peer pressure.

In my point of view, drinking and taking drugs is not "cool". To me, being cool is living a good and healthy life, surrounded by people who wish you the best and love you. Even better is if you have an exceptional job and can make an exceptional amount of money. There are people in the world who are very keen on their image; upholding a "cool" image is their ultimate goal. But everyone's perception of being "cool" is different. Some may think like I do, but some may think that binge drinking, taking large doses of drugs, and smoking heavily is "cool". The people who think my way have a delightful attitude in life. But the people who think the other way need to change their state of mind. I can understand where their perception of "cool" is coming from: gangsters, "hardcore" bikers, and prisoners. They are always portrayed as "cool" and "hardcore" and "totally beast!" in books and movies, causing certain people to aspire to be like them. People tend to pick up certain qualities such as drinking, drugs, and cigarettes.

Some minors drink because of their parents. In the United States, more than half the adults drink. Not all of them may be binge drinkers, but alcohol does cast a large shadow over many children in the United States. The children's alcoholic parents (not necessarily in all scenarios) may beat them, causing them stress and pain. There is a saying that alcohol can relieve stress, so the minors may go into their refrigerators and grab a beer to alleviate their stress and pain. Or, the children's parents may tolerate their children drinking because they drink frequently and do not see the horrible side to drinking.

Sometimes minors may drink because of the people they are friends with. Being a teenager, I know that it is important to maintain a "cool" image. Having that "cool" image means you get invited to parties, everyone wants to be your friend, and people envy you. Going to the parties, you must be the ringleader and not the one to be led. So if one of your friends sneaks a six-pack of beer in, what are you going to do? If you refuse, your friends are going to bully you into drinking. They might say things like, "But dude, c'mon, I thought we were friends!" or they could just shun you. It must be a hard feeling. If you drink without a doubt, then it becomes underage drinking! If I was placed in a situation where I could drink and be cool but break the law, or refuse the drink and be shunned, I would most definitely rather be shunned. I am being 100% truthful. I would rather be shunned from my friends (though it would really hurt), than have a drink because one thing leads to another. Maybe this one drink could cause me a lifetime of troubles and lies. I don't want that. I don't want to ruin my life, so no to the drink!

Underage drinking is a very serious topic. Minors may drink because they think it is "cool", because their parents drink or because of peer pressure. I think that drinking is not "cool" because you are abusing your body and hurting your organs. Drinking can cause you to do thing irrationally, inflicting harm to other people, not just yourself. So think before you drink, minors!

A need-aware system: a choice between diversity and selling your soul for money

By Joshua (Age 15)

Due to the current financial situation in the United States, many universities cannot afford to use the former need-blind system, and are switching to a need-aware system for accepting students. A need-aware system means that universities will unjustly look at your financial condition as well as your results, therefore unjustly affecting the chances of students who require financial aid getting accepted.

It seems like the odds are stacked against students who require financial aid, but there are a few things that they can do to remain competitive. Many universities offer obscure scholarships. These students can spend a day or two looking at the conditions for these scholarships and might find that they qualify. The option that would be the easiest is to take up a part-time job, but that would put a great burden on the student. Another option would be to go to community college, as community colleges offer basically the same education as many universities, and the only difference is in the prestige of the school.

Money shouldn't play such an important role in education but there isn't anything we can do about it. Universities are just like companies. They cannot operate for free or they would go bankrupt and cease to exist. Although it is unfortunate that money plays a huge part in education, that's just how the world works; nothing is free.

The need-aware system that the universities are adopting isn't fair but it is necessary. Universities cannot afford to support all of its students. The former need-blind system was fair, but only the top Ivy-League schools that are well funded can afford to use that system. Many qualified but poor students may not be able to go to the university of their choice due to the new system, whereas not as qualified but more wealthy students will get accepted. The need-aware system is a short-term solution at best. In the long term it is detrimental to society as it will further the boundaries of rich and the poor.

Hopefully in the near future the economy will take a turn for the better, and universities will take up the previous need-blind system for admission, but for now students must accept the unfair need-aware system and the reality of the importance of wealth in today's world.

Need-blind?

By Stephanie (Age 15, St. Stephen's)

Nowadays, many families are suffering from financial problems and are not able to afford the extremely expensive tutoring fees for their children. Colleges, especially in the US, used to be need-blind. However, they no longer have enough money to afford scholarships for poor families. Therefore, these colleges ended up not offering any scholarships at all. Smart people from poor families therefore do not get the chance to study in these colleges.

Clever kids from poor families are suffering from paying college fees. Despite their intelligence, colleges consider their family backgrounds which makes it impossible for those people to get in. This is not totally the colleges' fault. They would like to have more intelligent students but they do not have money to afford them. Money did not used to play such an important role in education but now, even the universities do not have a choice. I do not think money should play an important role in education but considering the financial status of the world, colleges have no choice but to deny poor students' applications.

This system is not fair for anyone. First, it is not fair to the poor people for obvious reasons. Although they have a clever brain, they don't get a chance to be educated. Second, it is also not fair for the university itself. By only accepting rich students, the quality and standard of the whole school will also decrease. They do not have a choice. With less money, they have to accept students who can pay for them in the aim for the school to continue working.

To solve the problem we have in front of us, people who are applying for colleges now can apply to other colleges which can offer them more financial aid. If the poor student is that brilliant, it wouldn't matter which university he gets into. He or she would stil be as good in other schools and when he or she graduates, he or she can still find a good job. These people can also prepare themselves so when opportunities come, they wouldn't miss it because of financial problems.

There is one way to help the poor students, and that is to wait. The only thing we can do is to wait. We can wait until the economy recovers and by then, the universities will no longer look for wealthy students only. When the economy is better, universities will become wealthier and less eager to find wealthy students. Also, they will realize that the school's standard and quality has been decreasing. To solve the problem, they will be need-blind again and will no longer care if the student is wealthy or not.

In conclusion, we can face the financial problem positively and maybe find a job to earn more money. We can also put more effort into our studies and maybe someone would appreciate our effort and let us get in their college.

Fraternities and Sororities

By Yu Rong (Age 15, Hong Kong International School)

Fraternities and sororities have been part of the college system for many years as an effective way to develop friendship, housing, fun, and networks. Students are encouraged to join fraternities and sororities in college if they study at a large campus because it is easier to assimilate into college life. Although some believe fraternity/sorority fees are pointless, these fees may be put to good use. People may use the fees to improve their living environment by upgrading their houses and to pay for productive social events that lead to helpful networking. On the other hand, not all members of fraternities/sororities live together. Some are just social groups similar to clubs that meet up on special days to make environmental and social contributions like beach clean-ups and volunteering to help animal pounds and homeless shelters. College campuses should not ban fraternities and sororities because they are vital to a student's building of friendship, networking, and social contributions.

Joining a college is a brand new experience for some people. It is a turning point in life where you have the opportunity to gain an entirely new social experience and build new friendships. In freshman year of college, some students may know few people. It is important to enjoy college life and make friends, and an easy way to make new friends is to join a fraternity or sorority. When you join a fraternity/sorority, you tend to become really close to the other members, and they are almost like your family in college. Having friends is important because friends will always lend a caring hand when you are in a bad circumstance, and they give you good advice. Friends can also provide you with new knowledge and open you to new opportunities.

Another reason why students should join fraternities and sororities is because they are great for social networking. In most large colleges, there are many students, and they all take different courses and classes. If one student needed information that required knowledge that is studied in another course, that student may find a fraternity brother or sorority sister who takes that other course to provide the needed information. Another example is that people who are in your fraternity/sorority can introduce you to others who may be useful in your business life after you graduate, since you most likely will keep in touch with your brothers and sisters.

Despite the two more popular reasons to join a fraternity/sorority - to make more friends and build more networks - some students join a fraternity/sorority because they have the same interest in making environmental and social contributions. The benefit of joining a fraternity/sorority that specializes in these types of contributions is that they have a lot more people to do the job. A forty person beach clean up job takes less time and effort compared to a fifteen person beach clean up job, but provides the same results. Another point is that joining a fraternity/sorority gives students a larger voice in comparison to an unofficial school group. Fraternities and sororities are more closely affliated with the school board because they have to go through a very official procedure before they are formed.

Although some may choose not to be affiliated with a fraternity or sorority, those who choose to be affiliated have many benefits. Benefits are effective ways in creating friendship, networks, finding housing and leisure fun. There are many different reasons one may choose to join a fraternity/sorority, and they play a large role in college life. Students should be encouraged to make their own choice whether they want or not to be affiliated with fraternities/sororities; therefore, fraternities and sororities should be not be banned.

Meaningful Confidence

By Jamie (Age 13, Renaissance College)

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from a student's essay about medical technology and the ethics of certain surgical procedures.

The majority of the public relies on surgeries to build up their own confidence, by making their appearance better and more beautiful. Facelifts, "Westernized" features, and all of these cosmetic enhancements might give a person confidence, but all of these confidence factors were created by the hands of others and their surgical tools and equipment. Confidence is only meaningful when it is built by the person themselves, by listening to others' advice, learning from mistakes, and not depending on the tools of a surgeon. It is not genuine when something is done by tools. Confidence should be built independently, without relying on something artificial.

Should plagiarism be forgiven?

By Vanessa (Age 14, St. Paul's Convent)

Do you know teachers always make students put a "credits" page in their presentations? It's because if they don't, then they're basically committing a crime. Since students find most of their information from the internet, it is essential that they must credit someone or something for it.

When a person commits plagiarism, not only are they going against copyright laws and human rights, but they are also disrespecting the person whom they are stealing from. Here's an example: what do you feel when you discover that someone, some jerk, took credit for something you worked really hard for? That essay which took up your whole weekend and made you miss your best friend's birthday, the very essay that you knew would score you an A, that exact piece of writing that you thought would mark as the perfect end of your school life... there is no doubt that you'll feel ripped off, furious, enraged, mad, irritated, murderous... You'll want to torture him like there's no tomorrow and throw him into the depths of hell. Every ill thought possible to man will likely fill your thoughts until you can get your revenge. Sadly, although plagiarism isn't something that people welcome, that doesn't prevent them from committing it.

Most people commit plagiarism because they have run out of ideas. They desperately need to ace something, but lack the ability and creativity, so they resort to copying other people. Nonetheless, one should never mix plagiarism with inspiration, imitation, or influence. The previous three are cases when one incoporates someone else's idea into a whole new thing. Plagiarism is when a person claims someone's idea as theirs, which is basically taking credit for what isn't rightfully theirs. In Tobias Wolff's novel, Old School, the main character stole a girl's story, called it his own, and submitted the story for a competition. He won the competition, but was then expelled when the school discovered what he did. Similar to lying, there are consequences for plagiarism. Nothing good comes from copying someone's idea, not even if you credit them, because the content inside isn't yours. Just like a snowball effect, you'll have to copy more and more until one day, the fragile structure of your lie gives in and everything crumbles.

Although plagiarism is bad, it is actually happening everywhere, even in the smallest places. Take the Maxim breakfast that I'm currently having as an example. It's a set with deep-fried fish fillet, scrambled eggs, a piece of bread, and a drink. Originally, the same set was available only at Fairwood. However, as it became an instant hit, the set was then copied by Cafe de Coral and Maxim. Despite the fact that everyone commits plagiarism, it does not mean that it should be accepted or copied. You won't go jump off the roof just because everyone does that, would you? No matter how one looks at it, plagiarism isn't a thing that should be easily overlooked or forgiven.

So, when should a plagiarist be forgiven for his or her mistake? The situation depends entirely on them. If they are willing to repent and turn over a new leaf, people should respect and trust them again. However, only people who are willing to admit their mistakes and change have the right to earn respect, because if they continue to do wrong or don't even bother to forgive themselves, how can they expect other people to forgive them?

Teen Dating

By Erica (Age 14, St. Paul's)

After love is stripped off of all fancy flowers, romantic poems, and handwritten cards, it may be just a mixture of chemicals producing the sensation of love. Pheromones, serotonin and dopamine are all substances produced in our brain in order to trigger the brain's pleasure centre. However, there should be more than chemicals behind love, right? It would be a real disappointment to hopeless romantics if they found out Romeo fell for Juliet just because he was blinded by serotonin.

When you flip open any random teen magazine, you are sure to find uncountable articles, tips, and quizzes about dating and love. They may be tips on how to flirt, quizzes about finding 'the right one' and articles about having a crush. Although girls started 'going steady' with guys in high school in the old days, their main motive was to marry and start a family. However, social norms have changed since then and dating no longer translates into securing a husband, yet the fact that most people date during their teenage years cannot be changed.

There are numerous reasons why teens date, but one of the most obvious reasons is because you like the person in a 'more than friends' way. We are biologically programmed to be curious about the opposite sex when we hit our teenage years and this cannot be stopped since this is how we were created. Therefore, it is safe to say that one of the reasons why teenagers date is due to the onset of growth hormones and other biological mechanism. Also, the human is a more social species when compared to, say, lions. We are afraid of loneliness and cannot survive on our own. This is why communities are formed in the first place. Humans crave for the presence of other fellow beings - to fend off wild animals in the old days and to share your life with in modern times. A partner can provide good company and security - both physically and mentally - and intimacy. A partner can be trusted in a way friends can't be since the level of devotion, trust and faith placed in the person is different. Teenagers who have a girlfriend/boyfriend will have someone to trust and lean on.

In addition, having a partner may increase your 'cool' factor at school. Although this is a wrong dating mentality, teens may gain popularity and recognition from peers due to having a girlfriend/boyfriend. Teens may also cave under the peer pressure of having a girlfriend/boyfriend in order to fit in with the rest of the crowd. Either way, this is falling in love for all the wrong reasons and may bring considerable damage to both parties.

One of the main concerns about teenage dating is the question of maturity. At what age should a teen date? Can a really mature child date at eight? In my opinion, the age limit varies according to the teen and how he/she behaves. I believe that if the teen shows responsibility and self-control, it is fine for him/her to date. On the contrary, if a teen has no self-discipline and low self-protection skills, he/she should not be allowed to date since the teen may not be able to handle both the physical and mental consequences of being in a relationship.

The age-old behavior of humans cannot be changed overnight and it is hard to avoid falling in love at a certain point in our teenage years. Parents may object to the notion of their child having a relationship, yet the parents themselves were once young. I'm sure that my mom and dad did have dates when they were teenagers. However, the most important thing is to be mature, date in a responsible way, and not cave into peer pressure.

Should fraternities and sororities be allowed on college campuses?

By Phillip (Age 14.5, Island School)

People join fraternities for various reasons: they want to feel involved, they think it's cool, they think it's an honor to be able to go up to a friend and boast the fact that they are part of the frat, etc. However, fraternities often cause a lot of problems, some of them major. 

When a freshman wants to join a fraternity or is asked to join a fraternity, they usually have to go through a process known as hazing. Hazing often involves very dangerous acts, and although some frats only require a brief albeit disgusting and unappealing process to get in - like licking someone's shoe - other frats ask for much more dangerous things. Some people have even been killed because of this process, like drug overdose or loss of judgment due to excessive consumption of alcohol. 

However, all these stories we hear are usually only of the minority. The majority of frats aren't very dangerous, and are in fact fun to be a part of. Feeling involved, in my opinion, is an important part of college life, because usually studying at that stage is very stressful, and going out once in awhile to meet up with a bunch of people and partying or pulling some pranks will relieve your stress.

Also, if you join a fraternity or sorority, once the dreaded hazing process is over and you're officially part of the group, things usually get much better. You make friends within the fraternity that you are part of, and after you graduate, the alumni will provide help and support when you need it. After all, most of them will be qualified college graduates and experts in different areas, and it's an easy way to make acquaintances. 

Instead of banning frats and sororities, a better solution would be to monitor the frats carefully, and have stricter regulations concerning the frats. Also, the hazing process should be strictly regulated, and have punishments for students who perform abusive acts on other students.

Banning frats and sororities still wouldn't stop secret societies and other kinds of groups from popping up, and in fact, might even encourage them to because the students might think it's cool do do something that you're not supposed to do. Also, they might find other meeting places that even further encourage them to break rules, like a disused part of the campus. 

It's good to be part of a group in college because later on in life, you'll eventually have to deal with different types of people, and being part of a frat will give you an early taste of what it would be like. Also, your affiliation with the people in the frat might even help you with problems on campus, from small things like homework to larger things like relationships with other students.

Banning frats and sororities wouldn't be the best solution because the students would find another way to do it anyway, and also, the bad things that happen in frats are usually the minority of cases. Frats encourage students to meet different people and learn how to deal with people, instead of being an anti-social saddo. 

Addiction to Social Networking

By Keith (Age 16, ISF Academy)

We used to think that the word addictive only applied to drugs, but now, more people are addicted to technology than to drugs. We see people around carrying iPods and iPhones up and down the streets for entertainment purposes. 30 years ago, people who traveled up and down the street chatted around with strangers. They had time to care and observe the surroundings. Now they play Angry Birds.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

I think the problem nowadays is that we get access to friends so easily that we are kind of spoiling the friendship. It is, first, a waste of time spending so much time talking to one single person whenever you can. Back in the old days, the only way to get in touch with your friends was to meet them face to face. If they were more fortunate, the only thing that they could do was to call their friends through the land line. They would treasure their friendship even more by doing this. We are in the state of texting each other every now and then and checking the Blackberry every 20 seconds, so it seems that we do not have an excuse to refuse to be socially connected anymore. It is just impossible for us to get out of the connection zone.

I absolutely think that  this is an unhealthy addiction. Under these circumstances we are getting dumber and dumber by using technology all the time. For example, typing on the computer will make your writing less fluent on tests, and you will make more mistakes in grammar when you rely too much on the computer's spell-checker. Social network addiction is also not healthy for young kids, because their mindset is not as prepared for differentiating between good and bad friends they meet. They might randomly add friends on Facebook, post statuses they didn't mean to put, and end up doing something offensive.

One recent invention called the Petimo, a type of social robot, encourages children to connect with real friends whom they have met. When both of them use Petimos to kiss each other, they automatically make friends on Facebook. The advantage of this is that parents can monitor their friends and it makes the whole friendship making process safer.

Of course, some may argue that the use of technology is crucial for one's future career. Their future jobs all rely on computers. Without these skills, it would be hard for them to adapt to the future. Only training them from a very young age can benefit them.

I think that children should restrict the use of technology. They should not be using it for entertainment purposes. All it is supposed to do is help you with your fundamental studies. Seeing young children using iPads worries me. Will our next generation still be able to write fluently? Will they be able to get away from the communication circles?

Technology is always useful. However, the way we are using it goes against the whole purpose of the invention. It is just making our lives more difficult and at the same time, making most of the technology users less efficient in their work.

Plagiarism

By Phillip (Age 14.5, Island School)

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Many people plagiarize for various reasons, whether it's because they feel they don't have the ability to do something original, or simply because they're not bothered. It can range from very small things like copying a math problem off a friend, or to copying someone's business idea like Mark Zuckerberg, when he allegedly copied the initial idea of Facebook from ConnectU. However, in the end, Mark Zuckerberg was more successful, since he was better at executing the idea.

If I was at university and I came up with an idea for a brilliant Internet business and my friend copied my idea and started making a website, I think I'd ask him for credit since he stole the idea from me. However, I wouldn't be very mad because if you put it this way, everyone is plagiarizing. For instance, Steve Jobs mentored the founder of Google, a successful search engine business, and in the end, Google ended up copying Apple's iPhone business and launched the Android system. Although Steve Jobs expressed disappointment and stated, "We did not enter the search engine business, so why did Google enter the smartphone business?", in some ways, Apple gained a competitor. And since iPhones are usually a little ahead of the Androids, Apple made even more money by analyzing the Android's faults and making it even better.

Also, plagiarizing can only be restricted up to a certain extent, and sometimes you can't even tell if they plagiarized or not. If people did not plagiarize and always came up with original ideas, the world wouldn't be as developed as it is now because people always add onto ideas and make it better. If it was totally against the law to take someone's idea and use it, then everything would stay at the most primitive stage of its development and not be able to advance any further.

Maybe it could be that I can re-plagiarize the plagiarized idea and make it even better, and get another friend who is really good at computers to develop a website better than the one that the other friend made, and become a competitor. It might even be better because that means I'll be having two brains behind the operation instead of one, but in a subtler way, since the friend who copied my idea would only really have copied the basis of it. The friend would still have to think on his own in order to keep the business running.

And instead of only looking at the negative side, I might even be able to look at the positive side and become partners with my friend and work on it together. Since I had come up with the initial idea, it will likely be that I know more about the business idea than my friend does, so maybe I could come up with ideas and my friend can work on it. I might not have been able to execute the idea without a computer whiz in the first place, so it might have even been a good thing that my friend plagiarized, because he would have practically volunteered to work on my idea.

Plagiarism is generally viewed as a bad thing, but in some cases it might even be a good thing. You might even be able to work with the people who plagiarized your work, because each person has their strengths and weaknesses. And also, if people are only restricted to coming up with original ideas, then the world wouldn't develop, and instead people would have a hard time trying to think of ideas.

My Sister's Lessons

By Erica (Age 14, St. Paul's)

When I turned seven, I began pestering my parents for an addition to our family. One minute I would whine for a Labrador, the next moment a cat, and sometimes I would even ask for a lizard or a rat. However, the patronizing replies were the same every time: Dad’s allergic to dogs, Mom hates cats, and over my dead body am I going to allow a lizard in my home. Period. Since my helper wouldn’t play with me, I had to resort to talking to my stuffed animals and myself when I got bored. The problem was, I wanted company. I wanted somebody to share my toys with, to read stories with and to play dress up with. So when my parents asked whether I wanted a sibling, I said yes quickly without much consideration. At age seven, responsibility was a vague concept to me and the idea of having a sibling simply meant having a playmate. However, little did I know that this ‘yes’ brought me a lifetime of love and annoy.

Originally, I was given the honor of naming my sister. However, after too many failed attempts and disapproving sighs from mom and dad over the weird names that I had chosen, they decided to call her Bernice. I was in charge of name-calling, but that’s another story. The name Bernice can be dated back to the time of 40 AD. She was the daughter of a man who was killed by an angel and was the mistress of numerous kings. That’s a pretty weird origin for your child’s name. However, it also means victorious in Greek, which is the most puzzling part. The only things that my sister ever wins are arguments and fights with me. And that’s because I purposely let her win. She taught me how to hold my tongue and swallow the sharp words I was about to blurt out. She taught me how to forgive and to ask for forgiveness.

Another thing that my sister taught me was sharing. Not only sharing toys and the TV, but sharing mom and dad. After spending half of my childhood basking in the love and full attention of my parents, there was suddenly someone else whom they love dearly. There was this person that they will dedicate as much love to as they did to me and obviously I was jealous. I didn’t like the idea that there will always be somebody else on their minds and in their hearts. For a few weeks, I would constantly glare at my sister with burning hatred and loathing. However, I soon realized that this was ridiculous. Of course I would have to share my parents with her and in fact, if they don’t even love her, I should be scared. I soon realized that I didn’t have to share my parents' love with my sister; their heart simply grew bigger to contain the both of us.

My sister also possesses the uncanny ability to make me feel guilty even when she was the misbehaved one. Every time after a fight, when I see her teary eyes and hear her pitiful sobs, I just simply had to forgive her. If you can stare into those eyes without melting, there's something wrong with you. The way she sees the world is just so simple. A butterfly or a bird can make her happy for the whole day while we’re blindly chasing fame and fortune. The world is such a beautiful place through a child’s eyes.

While I’m not ready to burn all of my Justin Bieber posters and CDs just to show my love for my sister, she really changed my life. She taught me how to love, to share love, and to be loved. She can explain problems that take me ages to solve with that simple mind of hers. Some day I’ll throw away all my Bieber stuff if she wants me to; but right now, she has to put up with a crazy sister who randomly dances to 'Baby'. But when you come to think of it, that's not actually a bad thing.

Three Cups of Tea: A Defense

By Albert (Age 13, Canadian International School)

Editor's note: Read a response from a student who believes Greg Mortenson should face the consequences for purposefully deceiving the public. 

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Three Cups of Tea is a book by Greg Mortenson. It was published in 2006 and it is an apparently true life story about Mortenson getting lost on K2, the second highest peak in the world, and eventually stumbling across a tiny village named Korphe. There the villagers nursed him back to health and he vowed to return to build schools there. Since then he has built over 150 schools in Pakistan and nearby Afghanistan. Despite this book being a bestseller for over five years, recently, there has been a lot of criticism. Author and climber Jon Krakauer discovered some parts of Mortenson's memoir were made up and that he used the money from the organization for his personal use. However, I believe that Mortenson's achievements far outweigh allegations made by Krakauer.

The first reason why I believe Mortenson's achievements outweigh the mistakes is that the mistakes in my opinion aren't that serious. There is only one big issue with what he is doing right now, which is that he is using money from the charity for himself. All the other mistakes, such as building schools on peaceful grounds in Afghanistan while he claimed he was building in dangerous zones, are just exaggerations made by Mortenson. The false stories he tells don't really have a huge impact on the work he does. As for the big offense, no one can really be sure if Mortenson does keep the money for himself. Also, the main point is that he has done the work and has helped the children, not if the money used was less than it should have been.

The next reason is that many other famous people who have helped change the world have also done things that weren't right. Mother Teresa, who devoted her life to building orphanages, schools, and clinics for the poor, was criticized for accepting questionable donations from dictators and criminals. She was also critized for the deplorable conditions of her clinics. Martin Luther King Jr. plagiarized parts of his Ph.D. thesis, but that doesn't even come close to overshadowing the achievement he had leading the civil rights movement. Some believe that Gandhi may have had relationships despite his vow of celibacy, but does that affect or overshadow his achievements such as making India an independent country? No. So why should it be any different for Greg Mortenson? His achievements far outweigh the mistakes he made.

On the other hand, some feel strongly about Mortenson deceiving people with made up tales in his book, but the main point is that the money goes to charity. Some also feel strongly about Mortenson using more money for himself than he should, but it is more important that the rest of the money is helping build schools in rural and dangerous parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In conclusion, despite the many mistakes that Greg Mortenson made such as making up parts of the book and using more company money than he should have, his achievements such as building over 150 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, raising money for charity, and inspiring many far outweigh his mistakes.

Three Cups of Deceit

By Jamie (Age 13, Renaissance College)

Editor's note: Read a response from a student who believes Greg Mortenson's accomplishments far outweigh Jon Krakauer's allegations. 

Three Cups of Tea is about how Greg Mortenson, failing to climb K2, got separated from his teammates and found his way to Korphe, a Pakistani village. The villagers healed the weak Mr. Mortenson and in return he promised to build a school, which happened one year later. He made his adventures into the book Three Cups of Tea and it became a New York Times bestseller. He also founded a non-profit organization called Central Asia Institute. The money earned from his book and donations from readers who were touched by his story was used to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, it was revealed that some facts in Three Cups of Tea were false, made up, and this accusation was confirmed by Jon Krakauer, the author of Three Cups of Deceit. 

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I think that Greg Mortenson purposefully deceived the public with his book and he should be prepared for the consequences. Since a lot of people bought his book and gave donations to Central Asia Institute, a lot of people would be mad and furious since all their money has been given to a deceitful organization. Even though he has been using the money from CAI's funds to build schools, it has been found by Jon Krakauer that the building of the schools have only used up 41% of the funding donations. Advertising and promotional activities for Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute have used up the rest of the funds.

All of these allegations have been gathered up and written into a book called Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer. There have been serious accusations. Although over 170 schools have been built by the Central Asia Institute in Pakistan and Afghanistan, many have been reported to be left empty and unused. Also, in these schools, there has been no attempt to hire teachers and buy supplies for the students, which makes the school an empty shell. It has also been found that the proceeds from book sales do not go to the Central Asia Institute, but instead to Greg Mortenson.

All these allegations are enough to outweigh Greg Mortenson's accomplishments in Central Asia. As the Chinese saying says, "A bad person is still a bad person, no matter what they do to change the fact." Whatever good deeds such as building schools that Greg Mortenson has done, he cannot change the fact that he has written a book with false facts, deceived millions of people into donating to his "non-profit organization", and used the money himself for his personal use. So, I think that although Greg Mortenson is a person who has done good deeds, he still has flaws and is not one to be believed in.

The Road Less Taken

By Erica (Age 14, St. Paul's)

Though there is no documentation of this word in every dictionary printed, nor am I able to type this word out without being underlined in red, I am certain that the word crossroadsphobia exists. Maybe not literally, in black and white, but deep in our hearts. This term refers to the fear of crossroads, or rather, the phobia of making big decisions. I am no psychologist, but ask any teenage who is about to decide on his or her career choice whether he/she has crossroadsphobia. Nine out of ten will give you a positive answer.

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To be truthful, I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. There are just too many options to choose from, too many choices to make and the idea of doing the same thing for the rest of your life is quite intimidating and terrifying. Imagine choosing the wrong path for yourself and regretting your choice for the rest of your life. Let's say you work for thirty years, twelve months, and five days per week. That's a total of 7200 days, or 172,800 hours. In such a competitive and cutthroat world, the margin of error is very limited. You do one wrong thing or choose the wrong path once and you're heading for failure. If I were to choose between doing something that I have passion for or simply working for money and security, I would definitely choose the former one. Wasting all your time chasing after something that you don't even like is idiotic. However, this does not mean that I am not tempted to do what everybody wants or expects me to. Sticking to the mainstream is always a no-brainer and the chances of failing are lower. Why take the risk when there is an almost foolproof way out?

One of the main factors why people are reluctant to create their own career path and break free from what their parents' had previously established is the fear of failing. The chances of failure people face when they create something new are relatively higher than those going for the more taken route. When you travel along the road less taken, there is completely no assurance and no guarantee you will succeed. You are thrust into a space of emptiness, a place where everything is possible if you work hard enough and, though not necessarily, have the luck. You will have to work very hard in order to gain respect from your social circle and you may enjoy less comfort and financial security, not to mention more worries and pressures.

There is significant difference in the answers given by a child and a more mature teenager when they are presented with the never-ending question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" When I asked my sister the same question, she replied, "A policewoman, so there will be no baddies in the world." I didn't have the heart to tell her that justice doesn't always win over darkness every time. When I asked my friends the same question, I was bombarded with "doctors", "lawyers", "bankers", and "engineers." I know I don't have the right to judge, yet I couldn't help but wonder how many of them really wanted to do these jobs for the rest of their lives.

The belief that you cannot excel in anything you don't have a passion for is absolutely true. In school, lessons that do not interest you seem to drag on forever and no matter how hard you try, the grades for that particular subject never improve drastically. On the other hand, time passes like an arrow if you're attending your favorite class and even without deliberately cramming all the notes into your head, you just do better in it. Without an interest in what you are doing, it is impossible to generate good results from it. Passion is the element that drives you to strive for better results each time. As the lyrics for the famous Bon Jovi song goes, "It's my life, it's now or never. I ain't gonna live forever." No way am I going to chase after somebody else's dreams and aspirations for me, nor am I willing to take a path everybody opts for just because it's easier. "Be the change you want to see in the world," Gandhi said once. I'm still confused about my future and any goals that I set now may be subject to change due to my fickleness. You may see my name on a banker's business card, at the top of a TIME article or on the cover of a book. Yet, despite all these uncertainties and guessing, there is one thing that I know for sure: You only get to live once.

Journey Through Exploration

By Chris (Age 15, Canadian International School)

Learning is an experience of creativity and innovation into one's mindset. Right-brain training has always been the crucial learning component in Hong Kong's learning society. It is a system designed for many local students ever since kindergarten and primary school. However, is memorizing and sticking to the textbook learning style the most suitable and adequate system for our next generation? Having been to both local and international schools, I was fortunate to experience both of the systems and really grasp how different it is to learn in an environment where the student could really explore into his/her own mindset and search for chances beneficial for themselves.

Learning is not about memorizing and storing as much information as you can at the youngest age possible. Learning is a process in which the student has to spend time and explore what is the most constructive and applicable path for him/herself. Seeing thousands of parents signing their one-year old baby for reading and memorizing classes is an utterly dreadful scene. Under the Chinese culture in which "doing what the majority is doing is the safest path", many parents are blindly sending their child to these right-brain training courses without considering what the true meaning of learning is. Is doing what the others are doing always the best possible way? No, indeed it is an extremely dangerous influence on our next generation. Do all of our sons and daughters have to be doctors and lawyers? There are thousands of careers our there waiting to be explored, and the most appropriate method for students is to let them discover for themselves under the guidance and assistance of parents and teachers.

What is the biggest advantage teenagers have over adults and "experienced" workers? Creativity. Young teenagers have the courage and mindset to present their new ideas and express their creativity. It is a crucial step for parents and teachers to open doors for these phenomenal concepts to enter society. We should take advantage of this value in order to create and advance in our community. Making your child memorize and try to read out words at such a young age is actually limiting their aesthetic skills because they will become so adapted to memorizing the textbook and storing information they are given instead of being innovative.

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Comprehending the concept while learning is a much more vital and useful concept compared to memorization and "flash card" reading. Through the videos of third-brain training, one may witness how effective this method of teaching is for young children. However, in contrast, I pity these children who were forced to do all this learning. Without doubt, I've also experienced similar learning methods when I was young. Right-brain seems to be an attraction for parents in Hong Kong due to the fact that one may do better on tests and exams with superior memorization. However, as I grew up and realized how poor my memorization skills are, I struggled to keep up with my classmates. There was no way out of this maze. This situation continued until I was fortunate enough to meet a teacher who emphasized to me how important it is to understand the concept instead of trying to memorize everything. What can a one-year old child do with all these words and vocabulary in their brain? What could they accomplish by reading the newspaper if they don't even have the experience and knowledge to understand the news? Flashcard reading and exceptional memorizing skills are nothing more than just a fascinating scene for parents.

One may argue that letting a child choose his/her own freedom might weaken discipline and it may end up in failure. This is true, but only true if the parents and the environment give a negative influence on the child. Through proper guidance and monitoring, a teenager can still have a lot of freedom to choose his/her own career and explore with creativity. Younger generations will not be young forever. They will have to grow and be independent, allowing them some space to make choices for themselves. A good mother will not do everything she could do to prevent her child from falling, but will watch her child fall and help the child stand up again until they stop falling.

"When everyone out there is a square, you want to be the cube." - Brian Lee

Your mind is sitting right above you, whether you take the initiative to explore it and take the chance to express your ideas is up to you. Right-brain training and flashcard memorization for children as young as one-year old is a negligent action. Learning is a process which can be tiring and discouraging, but teenagers have the choice to seek out a career which they enjoy and love. With proper education and guidance, a child could succeed while being creative and passionate for learning. Be creative, be different.

Carpe diem.

My Little Brother

By Chris (Age 13, Chinese International School)

My brother is the most inconsiderate, tardy, irresponsible, unsophisticated, annoying, rude, manipulative, arrogant, selfish, and stubborn person I have ever met on the face of this Earth. My mother has two sons; I'm the first.

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I can describe my relationship between my brother and me in three words - mutually assured destruction - a lot like the relationship between the US and the USSR during the height of the Cold War. We are both constantly in an arms race to find ways to outsmart and overpower each other, whether it's through our parents' approval or through name calling. I would always have the moral high ground and would always have the better defense in an argument. However, a lot like the Soviet Union that had one of the most impressive and secretive spy agencies ever to step on this planet, my brother is the master of manipulation. Although I know he's tricking me, similar to the US, I would fall straight into his trap almost every single time. He would try to get on my nerves by laughing at me etc. and he would always know what buttons to push to get what he wants.

Yet, our relationship could also be compared to the relationship between the US and Canada or Australia and New Zealand. My brother would simply laugh his socks off about every single thing I do wrong, no matter how small the problem is, and I would laugh at him back. Although we do get angry with each other sometimes, in the end the whole thing would turn out to be a friendly competition. Sometimes, I would get angry at him because he would never pay attention to his studies and I would always pick on him about that topic. However, quite like Canada, he would be too stubborn and ignorant to listen to any advice.

I will conclude the assessment of my brother in one sentence: An intelligent child, who is too idiotic to realize how smart he is and reaches for the bare minimum.

My mother always tells me that I had the most attention when I was small. That's why I have a better self-esteem than my brother, therefore I have to be nicer to him. I don't think so, it's his own problem that he isn't as cool as me.

Your Language is Your Identity

By Chris (Age 15, Canadian International School)

The process of learning Chinese is a beautiful yet complex and tiring exploration into one's mind. Ever since I was a young boy, my parents have pushed me to learn both Chinese and English at the same time. As a new local student who just entered an international school, English to me was a way more fascinating language. However, I had trouble reading it and my accent became a joke in the class. English has always been the language I want to excel at and become familiar with. As time passed by, I began to realize the beauty of the Chinese language. It was only in the past half a year that I realized my Chinese is way too poor. Being a Chinese person living in a Chinese community, it became very clear to me that learning Chinese is a very important component in my life.

To be very honest, I did not like the fact that I have to learn Mandarin. I always thought to myself being able to know both English and Cantonese is enough to live a life. Moreover, I absolutely adore English because it's the only way to bond with my other friends at school. Since I have been studying in an English school for 8 years, my exposure to the art of Chinese was minimal. Chinese was way too easy for me in an English school, which is why I didn't see the point of learning Chinese outside. However, in the past year, I've been listening to more Chinese songs and started to realize how admirable this language is. Being a Chinese person, I felt that I have the responsibility to learn more about my own culture and language. I began to read Chinese newspapers every single day and write some essays in Chinese using more and more complex vocabulary words. It was hard to convince myself that it was a joy to write something in Chinese. It was a very exciting adventure to try and improve my writing every single time.

Chinese is an elegant language which takes a lot of patience and time to understand. Of course being a Chinese myself makes it a lot easier to learn it. I am always heavily impressed by any foreigners who could speak fluent Chinese. It takes a huge amount of determination and perseverance to learn a new language, especially Chinese. I think it's an important value to treasure and explore. It really widens up your scope in a Chinese community.

It is true that Chinese may not be the most important language in the world, but it is no doubt one of the most mysterious and elegant languages in the world. I have once doubted learning Chinese, but as a Chinese, I have discovered how big of a mistake it is to drop your own language and get hold of another foreign language. Your own language is an important value to yourself. It is crucial for you to learn it before learning a foreign language. Mandarin for me and any Chinese person is a language which represents a part of our identity.

Is Being Rich Overrated?

By Curtis (Age 15, HKIS)

In the extremely capitalistic environment of Hong Kong, where people are constantly striving to earn more money, people work to not enjoy the results of what they are doing, but only to earn more money to spend. So, rich people are defined by having a lot of money. They have money that they typically don't need and can't finish spending if they didn't go buying everything they wanted with thinking twice.

The question is, is being a rich person overrated? Is being a rich person not as good and glamorous as it is emphasized in the media today? I think that being rich is overrated. This is because being rich in the first place requires a lot of hard work or a very lucky birth. People who are rich normally have a lot of responsibilities, more so than ordinary people. That is because while they have to not only worry about their jobs, they also might have to worry about when their new boat is arriving, when their car is getting fixed, how the company is doing, and many other things that require the attention of people who are used to being in control and the boss of a company.

Being a rich person also means that you have to constantly worry about other people being jealous of you, or your wife not happy with you because you forgot to send her a birthday present of a new handbag from Italy that cost 100,000 dollars. Being a rich person means you can consume more and have more materialistic things, but it also means you have to give more of your attention to consuming material things. If I had 10 pairs of shoes, each morning it would be a hard decision about which one I would wear. If I had 2 pairs, it would be a matter of which one I wore yesterday, or what I feel like wearing today. Rich people may seem to have more, but they mostly feel very unhappy and have more pressure.

Buying things only gives you a temporary happiness. It only gives you a moment spark of something new and that feeling will dissipate two days later when you put what you bought with your other "new" but forgotten things. People act and say that only by consuming and getting more will they feel happy but is that really happiness? Or is it just a way to cover up the emptiness of making so much money, yet not knowing what to use it for? Or even the purpose of earning so much money in the first place? People today feel that if you have money and a lot of material things, then you must be a happy person. That you live a successful and good life. But, like the Fancl commercial (less IS more), when I have fewer material things, fewer things that I can consume, the weight of it all gradually is reduced. I don't have to worry about my new car getting scratched, my new phone getting stolen, and my new watch getting smashed. None of that will happen.

So if people have enough to get by and make decisions on their own, then their lives are the best in my opinion. They can indulge in luxury once in a while, yet can maintain a low key lifestyle that they feel comfortable with. They don't have the stress and emptiness that all material things bring, yet can jump into the world of materialism once in a while for a taste. So strive to be wealthy in terms of spirituality and ethics and life goals, because they will bring you happiness. Don't strive to be rich.

Hea

By Vanessa (Age 13.5, St. Paul's Convent)

Hong Kong teenagers are very extreme. One moment we are efficiently going through projects and homework, and the next, we're "hea-ing". Basically, "hea" is the new found name of just being plain lazy and the term "hea" can be translated as "killing time" in English. Although there is no official Chinese word for "hea", it is one of the most widely-used terms by Hong Kong citizens, especially teenagers.

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"Hea" is not an official word, and thus means differently to different people. It is practically anything that we're doing apart from working or studying. Hea-ing, in other words, is doing nothing seriously. As a teen, I really have to say this: we are obsessed with hea. We literally do that everyday without fail, especially during the holidays. Any student who didn't hea during holidays are automatically demoted to the "goody-two-shoes" category. Yes, "demoted", because no one really bothers knowing you if you don't "have a life." Anyway, what we do during "hea-ing" is practically nothing, or nothing meaningful to be more precise. Yep, you didn't hear me wrong. We teenagers just laze around aimlessly or SMS with anyone else who may also be hea-ing at the time. Stalking people on Facebook, MSN, chat is also what we love to waste our time on.

It is actually very obvious that "hea-ing" is a serious misuse of our time. We never get anything achieved during those few hours we spend except for expensive phone bills and loads of emails from Facebook spamming our mail. However, teenagers don't seem to mind that. To them, "hea-ing" is wonderful: an activity that they would always look forward to. Yet, they seem oblivious to the downfalls of letting "hea" control their life.

"Hea-ing" is not exactly bad. After all, it is reasonable for teenagers to want to take a rest from all their work from time to time and just laze around. However, it seems that they do not understand one bit just how wasteful this activity is. They spend hours on Facebook stalking or just commenting on someone's status. They build up huge phone bills by texting at least three people at once for two straight hours. They fritter all their free time by randomly surfing the net. They neglect their homework and go find funny videos on YouTube. If this continues, we are all going to become a bunch of soulless robots who don't have a life.

Take my cousin as an example. He is addicted to the net and his iPhone, and spends at least four hours a day facing his computer. He is what people call "home boys", males who just stay at home doing nothing meaningful. He is a very good example of what will happen to the rest of us teenagers in Hong Kong if we don't start to spend our time wisely. I'm sure that none of them out there would want to marry their computer in their future, though I'm sure if may be seen as a potential partner, seeing as they spend so much time together.

Another example is that "hea" has taken up such a big part of our lives that we are starting to unconsciously apply it as our life motto. Teenagers have become lazier over the years. They do not put much effort into their work. To them, scraping a pass on a test is already a big achievement. It never seems to occur to them that they might get a B or even an A if they just work harder. Also, they seem to prefer spending time with their computers over real people. When my friends and I eat out, we all take out our phones and start texting or playing games. We interact less than we used to, which in truth, in actually breaking my heart. Another case is that I remember seeing a girl telling her boyfriend to confess to her by texting his confession. Yes, isn't it crazy? If this goes on, I'm sure that "hea-ing" is going to be the downfall of us Hong Kong teenagers, so we really should get off our sorry butts and actually start doing something meaningful.