Sasha+P’s+Final+AmEx+2014+Speech

=Title of Speech= Being alone vs loneliness

=Text of Speech=

As I stand here in front of each and every one of you, I ask you,” have you ever felt alone or lonely?” This may seem like a stupid question but there is a huge difference between the two whether you realize it or not. How many of you in this classroom have ever felt like you were alone? And when I say that I mean how many of you have ever sat at home on the weekends and truly been alone without anyone around? If any of you admit to this, you should know that it is normal. And for the others, how many of you have felt as if you are lonely, or feel like people shun you out for a certain reason. For those who don’t want to admit they feel this way because you either feel embarrassed or you don’t want to put yourself on the spot, **its** okay too. I bet that each and every one of us have felt lonely before. To be completely honest, I have been alone and lonely. I thrive on the fact that I don’t have an obligation to do anything but put my pajamas on and curl up and watch TV all day. I enjoy the sound of silence expect for the actors on the television screen and I enjoy eating snacks on the sofa continuously, where no one can judge me but myself.

There are so many people in society today who feel as if they have to be social every second of the day or else they will be considered an outsider. I don’t understand how people have a stressful and non- stop week of school or work and then instead of relaxing for the 2 and a half day break, they go to parties or just do something. I am not denying the fact that I don’t do things on my weekends, because I am clearly guilty of hanging out with friends, working, and babysitting, but I would much rather be at home alone. The concept of being alone is feeling wanted but not acting on that want. In other words**,** having friends but not always wanting to be stuck to their hip every moment of every day of the week. One of the dictionary definitions for being alone, according to yahoo. com is being “without others”**. N**owhere does it say that it is a terrible thing to be alone, but rather it implies that you are without others. My brother for example**,** will be graduating this Thursday from Ventura High School, and as is common with many seniors, they feel they have to do everything in the short amount of time before they have to pack up and move into their dorm in college. So as many students do, they go to parties or just simple hangouts for days on end, and only come home to occasionally sleep in their bed. They don’t care whether or not they have a loving family at home waiting to spend the last couple months with them before they start a “new life.” No, all they care about is being with every senior in Ventura County. I believe that my brother has no clue what it means to be alone. I have never once seen my brother sit at home for a weekend or a whole night in his senior year, and just watch TV with his family. He is always extending his curfew hour by hour so he can spend all those fun memories with his close buddies. I believe he is deprived of the true happiness which is being alone. My brother along with many seniors and high school students can’t sit still for one day and truly take a deep breath, relax and appreciate the solitude while they can. Which is why in the America I grow old in, I wish to see students all over the world truly value being Alone, because one day they will wish they cherished that quality, especially when it comes time to starting a new chapter in their lives, such as starting a family.

Even though being lonely may sound like the same word as being alone, it’s not but rather it is a more sad and depressing word. Being lonely is when you aren’t wanted; you are either shunned out or not even recognized as an existing human being. You can be that girl sitting in the corner of the classroom feeling left out, and many wouldn’t even realize that it’s happening. Being lonely is quite common all over the world, but truly shouldn’t be happening at all. I believe it has the same affects as being bullied or left out of a clique. To be honest, I felt lonely when I was in middle school because of the way I was treated. I had amazing friends but they weren’t popular like the other 50% of the school was. I had no problem with my friends but I felt like I wasn’t even noticed. When talking to a few students from my middle school the other day, announcing that I went to Balboa, they stared at me in amazement and said,” Really, you went to Balboa?” My response was,” Yes I did and we had this class together and that club together, do you really not remember.” Many of you may be thinking, oh that’s normal it happens all the time, but I want you to look around the room and see if you could name everyone who went to your elementary school or middle school. Do you think you could do that? I’m not saying that those students who didn’t remember me from middle school are bullies, but just the fact that I was lonely to the point where people never noticed that I existed, saddens me. I was made lonely when I was bullied in middle school, because I was bullied for my weight and the fact that I wasn’t wanted. When you associate being wanted, it may perceive as being sexual but I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about feeling as if I was part of something, either it be the group of girls who hung out in Mr. Duenas’ room or the girls who would hangout with the boys at the tables, because that wasn’t me.  In the America I grow old in, I not only want to see people value being alone but I also want to see people feeling included and not shunned because of what they wear, or their weight, because I truly believe that life shouldn’t be lived in a counselor’s office because no one wants to hangout with you or because you are too scared to show your face to that group of girls. We all need to change as a whole and the way to start is by cherishing the life you have, not moving too fast, and treating everyone the way you would want to be treated. Don’t exclude others because they aren’t cool enough or they don’t belong in your group. And don’t waste your life living with others and not yourself, meaning you have all the time in the world to meet others but sometimes appreciating what you have in front of you in the most special thing. It’s time to change the world for the better so everyone can feel like they belong in the place they call home. Thank you.

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