DR. WALLACE: I hate athletics. First of all, I'm not the athletic type. There are those who know me and consider me to be a nerd. But I'm a very intelligent nerd. I'm in the 11th grade and so far, I'm a straight A student and my plan is to graduate with a straight A average and then graduate from an elite Ivy League school such as Harvard or Yale.
It really bugs me that at my high school the athletes get all the glory and the nerds are laughed at. When I'm making a million dollars a year, most of the school jocks will be working for minimum wage or, if they're lucky, working at an auto repair shop. That goes for those snobby cheerleaders, too. They will marry the jocks and live in a rental house taking care of four plump kids.
As for me, my wife and I will be living in a penthouse, driving Mercedes-Benz cars and dining at expensive restaurants. It could be that one of our school athletes might even be our waiter. He would be lucky. With my money, I would be a good tipper.
Down with athletes, and three cheers for us nerds! Someday we will be running the country! — Nerd and proud of it, Nashua, NH
NERD: I'm impressed with your goals to graduate from high school with straight A's (valedictorian, no doubt), receive your degree from Harvard or Yale and then become a millionaire. These are lofty goals and I wish you well on your journey toward them.
But I'm sorry you are so fueled by revenge and seem to be as concerned about other people's failures as much as your own successes. This means you'll never be happy simply with your own accomplishments.
I am equally sorry that you harbor such negative feelings about sports. This is your loss. While academics should never be compromised for athletics, the two can coexist in harmony, both have their place and benefits in building skill sets that will be most useful later in life.
Remember, both Harvard and Yale are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Both of these academically prestigious schools field men's teams in football, basketball, baseball, track and field, and a host of other sports. The women's programs provide a full schedule of sports, including basketball, softball, field hockey, tennis and swimming. Even if you don't participate, watching athletic events can be an enjoyable recreation. Try it!
Providing students with an excellent academic program is a school's prime function, but extra-curricular programs, including athletics, provide an outlet for the pressures of the classroom and keep student's lives in balance.
MAKE LUNGS SMOKE FREE
DR. WALLACE: I don't smoke tobacco cigarettes and I am 100 percent positive I never will. But my boyfriend and I share two marijuana cigarettes a week. We really do limit ourselves to just two between the two of us. Yes, we do inhale and even though I enjoy the effect of marijuana I am concerned about the possibility of getting lung cancer from my enjoyable habit. Is this a real danger? Otherwise, I really do take good care of my body. — Puffer, Fort Worth, TX.
PUFFER: Marijuana has been used widely on a regular basis for many years now, and only time will tell what sort of negative effects it has on the body. Two marijuana cigarettes a week may not cause major health problems, but the odds of your contracting heart and lung disease would be lower if your lungs were smoke-free.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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