Young people and free time

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Mr Writefix

Young people today have a lot of free time. In your opinion, do they use this time well or do they waste it?

Do young people today use their free wisely? Or do many of them just waste it doing pointless activities? In this essay, I will discuss how most of the young people I know spend their free time.

Of course, many young people, just like many old people, waste their time. Some youngsters choose to sleep instead of getting up and being active. They get used to being lazy and the slightest effort is too much. Others are more active, but prefer to spend all their time in the mall or in the coffee shop, just watching girls or chatting with their friends. This if fine for a while, but it’s not very productive. Still others of course never leave the house and just sit around chatting on the internet or watching sports on television. It’s a lot easier to just sit at home and criticize your team than to get fit and take part, but that’s what many people prefer to do.

However, there are also many young people who are extremely active and productive. After all, most sport is played by young people, and stadiums are full of people supporting their favorite teams. Secondly, most young people are trying to create a good future for themselves. A lot of young people do extra courses or spend their time reading in order to do better in their studies. But the most important point is that young people are not very different from older people. Sometimes we all spend too long doing one thing, when we should try to have a balanced range of activities. All of us need to relax and have fun, and all of us, young and old, need to try new things and meet with friends and family.

In conclusion, it’s not really a question of age. Old and young people can choose to use their time well or to fritter it away. Hopefully we can all make choices that benefit us in the long run.

Should foreigners pay more? (short)

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Mr Writefix

In many places, foreign visitors are charged more than locals when they visit cultural or tourist attractions. Do you agree or disagree with this?

Tourist attractions often have two admission prices: one for locals or residents, and one for foreigners or visitors from far away. Some see this as discrimination, while others accept it as being fair. In this essay I will say why I think it is reasonable for foreign visitors to pay more.

I don’t think locals should pay the same as foreign tourists. For one thing, a historical attraction in my country is part of my heritage. My ancestors built it, and I should have free or cheap access so I can know my history. Second, let’s face it : most tourists are rich – or at least richer than us locals. If they can afford to fly from Australia or China to see a castle or a rare animal, than they can pay a few dollars more. In addition, I pay taxes in my country, so I have already paid a lot more from my salary than the foreign tourist who is only here for a few days.

I think foreigners should pay more for several reasons. First of all, it raises money to maintain the attraction. The higher admission fees from foreigners are important in Egypt or Mexico to preserve world-class historical sites. Secondly, tourists pay far more for their flights, hotels, and cocktails. A few dollars extra to visit a museum is nothing. Third, most tourists only visit the attraction once in their lives. Who is not prepared to pay a little extra for a special occasion?

To sum up, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to pay a little extra when I am in a new country, and vice versa. In fact, I’ve already started to save for my next trip!

More sports & fitness centers?

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Mr Writefix

Would the availability of more sports facilities lead to better public health?

It would seem obvious that providing more sports facilities would lead to increased fitness and better health among the population. However, there are also several reasons why public health might not improve. In this essay, I will explain why access to sports facilities may not be sufficient to improve our health.

More gyms, stadiums, and fitness centers would certainly be a good thing. First of all, people will not use sports facilities if they are not convenient. After a long day working or taking care of a family, nobody wants to spend a long time driving or commuting to a gym or to swim or play tennis. The closer the facility, the more likely people are to use it. Secondly, having facilities in neighborhoods will encourage friends and families to exercise or play sport together. Playing a sport or getting fit can be more enjoyable with people you know. A third point is that just having sports centers available increases awareness of fitness and health, and this can motivate and encourage people who might not normally use them to join.

However, just having more sports facilities may not be enough. First, the facilities may be too expensive, both to use and to build. Massive stadiums costing governments hundreds of millions of dollars may only serve a few people, and ordinary people may not be able to afford gym or spa fees. Another issue is the need to support people with training, diets, professional sports coaching and goal-setting. Without good organization and professional staffing, many people may visit sports facilities just a few times and give up or do something else more fun. However, the most important thing is changing the mindset of people. Children do what their parents do, and parents do what their friends do. If they are not interested in fitness or sports, the facilities will be underused and a waste of money. Until money is spent on education, people may prefer to play computer games or sit around eating unhealthy food, drinking and smoking.

In conclusion, while I think every school, village and town needs sports facilities, I don’t think that real change can result from just building more sports centers. We need a two-pronged approach which motivates us and our children to become more active and which is affordable and accessible.

Travel and international understanding

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Mr Writefix

Does travel help to promote understanding and communication between countries?

Most people would agree that travel broadens the mind. Surely, visiting new places and meeting new people helps us to understand how others live? However, the history of travel has taught us that many misunderstandings and tragedies can occur when different societies meet. In this essay, I will discuss whether travel contributes to mutual respect and understanding.

The issue is probably not travel itself, but the purpose of travel. There are many motivations for travel. It can be to learn, as in a religious pilgrimage, a personal journey, or an expedition. Millions of Muslims meet on Haj each year, and are reminded of the scale and diversity of the faith. Exploration of remote jungles or islands has given us an appreciation of cultures very different from ours. Even the modern traveler, flying in hours from China to Australia or from France to Thailand, glimpses different ways of life and different histories.

However, travel is not always so innocent. Trade, for example, can begin as an equal exchange of crafts or commodities between small groups of traders, but it can also become the basis for massive exploitation, colonization or even extermination. If one group believes its cultural values, religion, or society are superior to the other’s, then friction or resentment can grow into conflict. And too often, travel is undertaken with no desire to meet or learn from the host country’s people: it is simply a change of scene or temperature. Such travel actually sets out to minimize all contact with the culture of the host country and instead surrounds itself with the food, drink and entertainment of its own.

In conclusion, while it might seem that travel can contribute to understanding, it depends on the intention of the traveler and the attitude of the host. Just because travel is easier than ever before does not mean we should bring our prejudices with us on the plane.

You can also find another essay on this topic on the external website www.urch.com

Does cheap air travel damage the environment?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Mr Writefix

Some people say cheap air travel is good because it enables ordinary people to travel, while others argue that it is bad for the environment. Discuss both views, and include your opinion.

In the past air travel was only for the elite – the rich, the powerful, the privileged. Today, hundreds of millions of people are able to travel around the world for work or pleasure. As Air Asia’s slogan puts it: “Now everyone can fly.” However, the price to be paid for this easier travel may be damage to the environment. In this essay, I will examine some of the arguments for and against cheap air travel.

There are plenty of accusations against cheap flights. Critics of budget air travel claim that the emissions from jet fuel are damaging the atmosphere. This is particularly serious at the higher levels of the atmosphere where modern jets fly. A single short flight from Dubai to Mumbai can produce as much carbon dioxide as one month’s driving for a family. The environmental cost continues when the tourists land, as hotels, leisure and other facilities are very significant polluters and consume a lot of resources. A third point of course is that this travel is mostly ‘unnecessary’ and people would simply stay at home if the flights were not so cheap.

However, the proponents of cheap air travel, such as Ireland’s Michael O’Leary, have their own powerful counterclaims. First, they reject the allegation that jets contribute significantly to global warming. They point out that modern jets are much quieter and much more fuel-efficient than in the past. Secondly, many countries already have carbon taxes or levies included in the price of the airline ticket or aviation fuel. This can offset the carbon produced during the flight. In addition, most of the arguments against cheap flights are based on the belief that it is acceptable for certain people to fly, but not for ordinary people. In other words, the wealthy or powerful would like to deprive ordinary people of the right to travel, to see new places and meet new people.

In conclusion, cheap air travel is not a clear-cut issue, but a political, economic and environmental minefield. In my opinion, everyone should have the opportunity to travel, but we do need some monitoring of the effect on the environment, both in the air and on the ground.

Should dangerous sports such as motor-racing or boxing be banned?

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Mr Writefix

Across the world, millions of people enjoy watching or even taking part in sports such as boxing, wrestling, mountain climbing, bungee jumping and a whole range of other hazardous sports. However, others think that these sports should be strictly controlled or even banned completely. In this essay I will describe why I think it is a mistake to ban dangerous sports, and why people should be able to enjoy the sports they want.

It can be hard to understand why people like dangerous sports so much. In boxing, for example, many people are killed or suffer brain injury every year. Mohammed Ali, one of the most famous boxers of all time, has severe medical problems even as a result of boxing. In addition, some people do not understand why blood and danger is so important. They wonder why boxers need to hit each other or why Formula 1 racers have to crash or risk serious injury in order for other people to enjoy this sport. A third point is that sport is now a big business. Companies, television stations, and sponsors spend a large amount of money on these sports instead of safer alternatives such as swimming or running.

However there are many reasons why people should be allowed to do whatever sport they want. For one thing, even if something is forbidden, people will still try to find a way to do it. The sport will go underground, like cock-fighting in most European countries. Secondly, there is almost no activity which does not have some danger. For example, swimming, running and even walking can all result in injury. But the main reason is that people will always be attracted to sports where they can move faster or go further. Even the motto of the Olympics is ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius,’ Latin for ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger.’ It is part of human nature, and sportsmen and sportswomen are aware of the risk in their sport.

In conclusion, while there are some understandable reasons for worrying about danger in sport, I believe people should be free to watch and participate in whatever sport they want. What we need to do is to ensure that personal safety of the players or athletes is not in danger, and to encourage more people to push themselves and take part so that they can enjoy these activities.

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Tag: leisure

Young people and free time

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