Are We Ready?

 

I enjoyed being on the speech team in high school.  I don’t remember all of the events that I entered as we participated in speech tournaments with other schools.  I know there was a limit as to how many each student could enter in each tournament and I remember trying my hand at several different categories.  But I do remember well that, as a junior, I entered the original oratory category with a speech called, “Are We Ready?”  I can remember feeling the spirit help me write the speech, feeling that sense of “joy” as the ideas flowed in my head.  I recently found a copy of the speech when I was going through some memorabilia.  I was actually a little embarrassed when I read it.  I remembered it being so good.  But then I remembered that I was just fifteen years old.  I think what I found is the first draft as my teacher had written some notes on it.  I’m sure I made some changes before I presented it.  Here is what I found:

ARE WE READY?

We are America’s “younger generation.”  We are going to be the leaders of this country before too long.  But are we ready?  Do we know enough about our country and its laws to defend, to our death, it’s cause?  Do we know enough about our country to be the leaders of it?

I feel that we, as America’s “younger generation” are very apathetic to our country’s problems.  We hear about the problems on the 5:00 news, and maybe think about them a little bit, but then we just turn off the television and go about our daily activities, without ever giving a second thought to it.  I feel that this is especially true with the girls.  They aren’t the ones who are going to have to die for their country, so why care?  For instance, which do you think is more important to the average American girl?

Racial problems or facial problems?

Foreign care or what to wear?

Battle of pollution or battle of the bulge?

How money inflates or getting dates?

Most of you would probably choose the latter in each of these cases, for these are considered the teenage problems.  The first mentioned in each case is the adult problem.  Most of us think, let them take care of it.  They always have before.  Besides, I have enough problems of my own to solve.  Well, isn’t it true?  Don’t most of the girls you know care more about they look and how they are going to get that certain guy to notice them, than our country and its problems?

One of the main problems today in America, I feel, is that we have always depended on the “other guy” to get things done.  The only problem is, there is no “other guy,” there never has been any “other guy.”  A great man once said, “The success of our country has depended upon people who have done more than their share.”

I like the way CH Spurgeon put it when he said, “You have the right to be apathetic to our country’s problems.  But when that right is taken away, you can blame no one but yourself.  I never really thought about it in this light before, until I read that quote.  To me, it means that I have the right to not care about my country and its problems, but when our country’s freedom is taken away, and I no longer have that right, for I am forced to care, I can blame no one but myself.  There is no longer any other guy to put the blame on.

I feel that America today is in a deep run.  We have so many problems to solve that we are in a constant turmoil in trying to solve these problems.  This might be compared to a car stuck in the snow.  The more you put on the gas, therefore spinning the tires, the deeper into the run you get.  I do feel that is the adults, the establishment, which have got us into this rut, but I also feel that it will be up to us, the younger generation, to get us out.

Maybe it won’t be us, though.  Maybe it will be the generation that follows us, the ones that are ten-years-old and younger now.  They are still fresh in life and haven’t set their lifestyle yet.  Maybe some of you have seen the poster entitled, “We’ve Only Just Begun.”  As you know “We’ve Only Just Begun” is the title of a popular song which talks about a couple and how they have just begun in life and love.  Maybe this is the meaning that you get from the poster, too, but when I look at the poster, I get a new and different meaning, maybe even one that the photographer didn’t know was there.  It is a picture of a little, American, white girl sitting on a rock with a little American black boy on her lap.  They are smiling at each other with a kind of innocent, maybe even naïve look on their faces.  To me, this represents their entire generation.  Things might be different with them for they have not yet been taught to hate each other or to be prejudiced against each other.  It is going to be up to us, their parents and teachers, to teach them to not be prejudiced, but let them make up their own minds and set their own lifestyle.  In the bible, it says that “a little child shall lead them.”  Maybe this is what it means.

I am waiting for the day when my generation, the younger generation, will put racial problems before facial problems; foreign care before what to wear; battle of pollution before battle of the bulge; how cost inflates before dates.  But I am afraid that this will never come.  We have set our life style and will probably stick to it.  I’m afraid that on our 30^th birthday, we won’t just suddenly change over from caring about ourselves to caring about our country.  But we can help by teaching our children in the right way so that they can be better leaders.

We have a lot of preparing to do.  We are America’s younger generation.  We are going to be the leaders of this great land.  But are we ready?  Are you ready?

Like I said, I know I made improvements in it because I remember some parts differently.  I think this was the first draft I turned in to my teacher.  But I feel lucky to have found this copy.  I am so glad I saved it. It was given by memory and I worked hard on the presentation.

I gave it at several speech competitions and, as I remember, I placed 1^st or 2^nd at all of them.  I was invited to present it at the American Legion Oral competition in Caldwell.  The American Legion competition was held at the American Legion Hall in downtown Caldwell.  There were three from our school participating: Me, our student body president, and another girl.  We waited in a room and when it was our turn, went into the big hall which was filled with veterans and their spouses.  We presented our speech.  I took 2^nd place.  Our student body president, Mike Melea, took first.  Several of the veterans and their wives told me my speech was better, but they wanted to give it to the senior.  They encouraged me to come back next year, hinting that I would win if I did.  I was so disappointed.  I felt I had earned the win and they were just playing politics.  At the end of the year, some of the American Legion came to our high school’s awards assembly and presented us our medals. 

My senior year, my speech teacher came to me and said that the American Legion had called to specifically invite me to participate again.  But I was still disappointed and chose not to.  I probably should have.

I also used that same speech to participate in a church speech competition and was chosen to represent our stake in a regional festival. The festival was held in a church I had never been to; far from home.   I remember being so nervous to stand and give it in front of all those people in a packed church. I did well and received many compliments.

I am so grateful for the experiences I had in speech.  I learned to stand in front of people and express myself, which has been a blessing throughout my life- especially in church service.  I learned that I could compete and do well, and that built my confidence.  I learned that our voices and words can be instruments for good in our communities, churches, and in the world.

 

Following are pictures of the speech team. 

This one from the yearbook Our eccentric teacher, Mrs. Hooban is on the left. And this one from our city newspaper: