Learning How To Drive
There is this thing called driving. It comes with inherit risks. You may die. You might get injured. You might be affected for the rest of your life based ofnyour driving habits. Since we want to protect you, we will only tell you that you should never drive a car. Never. The only allowable circumstance would be if you have a committed relationship with the car and promise only to drive on a private track for the rest of your life. Until that time comes, the thought of driving a car must never cross your mind.
Sure, a car is fun. You can go fast. You can go places you’ve never been. It can be an important part of a healthy life. It can be a basic necessity to your day. But, since there are risks, you must ignore all of that and focus on finding an unused race course and remaining abstinent till then.
Driving is a special experience. It shouldn’t be shared all willy-nilly with any car that you find attractive. Most people know this. You should not be trading cars every few months just because you get bored or the handling is better. Severe promiscuity is an extreme. Only a handful of people treat their cars with such disrespect. Abstinence is also an extreme. Only a handful of people treat their life with such disrespect.
I love metaphors. Let’s continue, shall we?
Some people will tell you about safety belts. These are not 100 percent. They will not save your life in case of an accident. They may reduce some risks, but you shouldn’t trust them at all. Oh, and don’t listen when those impure drivers tell you about airbags, anti-lock brakes and reinforced side-panels.
When it comes to driving, states agree that anyone under 16 is probably too immature to handle the responsibilities and risks of driving. There is a set age limit. They don’t forbid all people from driving, despite the fact that people of all ages get into accidents. They do require a license, though. How do you obtain this license? You learn what the risks are and how to drive safely.
There is no “never drive” strategy given to high school students. Why must sexual education have an “abstinence-only” plan?
To do too much and to do nothing at all are both flawed viewpoints. It is too black and white. Those that believe in abstinence follow a policy that existed when you were an adult at 13 years old. Right when puberty hit, you normally got married. That’s a convenient and smart system. But now, we live much older than 30. Life got stretched. You are supposed to wait until marriage when that might not be until your mid-20s, 30s or never? And marriage has a much higher failure rate than condoms nowadays, anyhow.
When does adulthood start in this day and age? It starts when you are ready to accept the consequences of your actions. Can you accept having a child in high school? Can you be responsible for it? Can you live with a disease that might not only affect you but many others in your future? If you can, then by all means, become an adult.
Studies have shown that Bush’s current related programs yield no long-term benefits. Those that take abstinence oaths are just as likely to have pre-marital sex as their non-oath brethren. Also, they are more likely to have un-protected sex. Obviously, the message isn’t getting across the raging hormones. We now have individuals not protecting themselves thanks to moral high ground.
When it comes to sexual safety, I would rather my future child be as informed as possible. Telling kids about air bags does not encourage them to have more accidents. Abstinence-only education is failing. To become wise, informed, responsible adults, they need to be able to weigh the risks and the pleasures.