Pleasure, the ultimate thing

THE EDITOR: Sex? Few things are so simple, essential and pleasurable as eating. But the Romans in their Age of Decadence, multiplied its pleasures uniquely. At dinners, they ate ‘belly-full,’ repaired to an adjacent room and, tickling their throats, vomited all up — then returned to the eating room for more. The ‘simple’ and ‘essential’ were taken out of eating and the ‘pleasurable’ became the ‘ultimate living.’

Ditto for sex today, for so many people. Cinema, TV, life styles, books, magazines urge this on. But we don’t seem to see the consequences. We continue to shove it in the faces of young and old, parents and children. We are even foisting on our country that USA product called `Spring Break,’ a youth carnival of sex, alcohol and mindlessness far beyond our Carnival of mas.’

Sex is essential; without it mankind would cease to exist. But it’s not simple; it is very complicated because people are complicated psychologically. Ask the ‘big men’ and women who are destroyed by ‘tabanca’ and other sex-related problems — or view the stupidities on programmes like Jenny Jones, Maury and Jerry Springer. ‘Sex education’ must include relationships, role and responsibility of men and women, mutual respect, problem solving, marriage, parenting, sex-related diseases, love, etc. The young must learn about it as they learn about fire, without putting their hands in it. As they see fire destroy, they can see its uses; they can demonstrate the good and ill of sex. Can all parents teach this? All schools? But they must! Will parents be given the opportunity to learn how? Will the entertainment moguls help to create a less unhelpful social environment? And avalanche of AIDS is ready to smother us!

VAN STEWART
Diego Martin