Jared+M’s+Final+AmEx+2015+Speech


 * Laziness **



As a Junior in high school I see it every day. In the halls, in class, in many of our own homes. A family destroyer, poison in the brain, public enemy number one, it’s all around us. It’s the greatest threat to yourself and to others; Laziness (Queue dramatic music). Laziness seems like the cheesiest theme for a speech, I know, but… it’s important to recognize that laziness can become something so much worse than sitting on your couch all day procrastinating. In the America I want to see in the future, I want multiple generations of people that understand the long term and short term detrimental effects of laziness and all it encompasses.

In middle school, I was that kid that seemed to get it, I always just understood what I was taught, It just clicked the moment I learned it, it was black and white to me. Then when in high school, when I took my first honors course in tenth grade, there was no click, and my mind went from white and black to fifty shades of… confusion, and that click took far longer than ever before. For the first time in my life, I had to study. From there it’s just went worse and now I can’t get anything higher than a C on my history tests without studying, believe me I've tried.

Although what caused this outbreak of stupidity on my part happened to occur the same time that I became engulfed in my laziness and developed a rebellious teenage state of retaliation upon my parents. Homework was now being done at 2 am, while movies, video games, sports, and my personal favorite, food, became the fillers and time wasters of the afternoon. The saddest part is that I know I'm not the only one who has entered this state of no longer giving a… care. Think of everyone in the school. How many people do you know that are lazy? Now think about our country, and then the world. The increase of electronics, and health standards in this world has caused the last generation and our own to become the laziest, most unsuccessful people in history. How many of us could create a light-bulb, or send a man to the moon with no Google to look up how to do it? It’s begun to consume this nation, and it needs to stop. We need boys to become men again, not wait around on the couch all day waiting for it to happen. We need responsible human beings, men and women, to grow up and be proactive and accountable for their actions. Individuals that give 110% in everything they've got, not just in the things that matter to them. How can we aspire to be the greatest nation again if we sit on our butts all day eating potato chips while watching the Walking Dead?

Life is unfair, but the most prepared are the most successful. Laying in your bed all day Is not a great way of preparing, but it's a reality for most.. The best in life will come to those who get it, not the ones that expect it to be given to them. I'm not saying that you can't take a break every once in a while, but it becomes a problem when you are setting your goals and your life aside to watch a season on Netflix. You need to understand that by being lazy, you can slowly change your brain to decide that it no longer wants to work. You become unable to solve problems, make good decisions, and no longer will you be able to live your life the way it was meant to be lived. If you get sucked into this hole, it's hard to get out, and it's very detrimental to you and those around you.

There are stages to laziness. The first of which begins in the back of your head. The next becomes the little devil on your shoulder telling you it's okay, until you finally fall down the abyss and it becomes 2nd nature. I know many people that have reached every stage, myself included, and I know, they miss out on the everyday joys of life. My neighbor for example, has had to evict both his roommates because all they do is sit on the couch all day and watch T.V. Both of these men are divorced with kids, but I have never once seen them go to see there kids. Because of laziness, they are behind on rent, never go out and see the world, and worst of all, will negatively affect the lives of their children, because they are being rejected for what...TV, it's sad but also the truth.

Unfortunately I, as well as the rest of the world, see the common people of America in this stage of laziness. There's no longer motivation for these people, but why? Is it from the constant electronic influence that shortens their attention span, or the constant distractions that come with the 21st century? When you're lazy you no longer live for yourself, but for other things. Like an addiction, if you take away the electronics, it's hard for them to just move on back to the real world. What they need is a purpose. They need to set goals and achieve them, get them to understand that they have to live for, themselves. The hard work and dedication will follow.

In the America I want to see, people are living life to the fullest instead of letting it just pass by while they watch the Big Bang Theory on their Television. I want to see an America in which everyone lives for themselves. An America that is proactive and no longer waits for the opportunity of life to fall into their lap. We need more people, that will accept responsibility and work hard giving it all they've got. So instead of wasting your life on things that give you nothing in return, spend your life on something that matters.