Daniel+E+Final+AmEx+2013+Speech

=Title of Speech= Just a thought.

=Text of Speech= When I look to the future, at the America I want to grow old in, I first look around at my peers. All of you guys. Because the future isn't ahead of us, it's all of us. We're the future. What we do will shape the world our children will live in. I want to do just a bit to make it a place worth living in.

We're teenagers. And because of the stigma we've gained, that means the odds are against us. People expect us not to care, just organize ourselves into gangs, screw like rabbits, and use every single drug on the face of the earth before we go to prison. As a teenager, I hope to disappoint these people. I guess what I'm saying is that we don’t have to live up to this disappointing expectation. We’re our own people, and the choices we make have a bigger impact than what you might think.

I guess I'm just rambling. But the point of what I'm trying to say, is that you matter. Each and every one of you will affect countless other lives around you over time. Your friends and your family, people you love, people that you hardly know. With a few words, you can make them laugh or make them cry. Sometimes both. Come to think of it, these speeches. That right there, to make just a bit of an impact would be all that anyone could hope for. Maybe the only impact that this will have is to bore you for a couple minutes. I'm alright with that, and I'll just sit down in a second. But even then, that made a difference. Everyone will, for better or for worse.

I couldn't name very many famous people off the top of my head. I don't care who the richest or most influential people are. But I could name just about all my teachers back to kindergarten, even the really bad ones. It isn't power, or fame, or money that you need to be important. You might feel better because of it, but the only people who would care about that aren't really the kind of people you'd even want to care. It’s all that anyone could hope for, to matter. To leave behind a legacy, something that people can recognize. Maybe a sort of a proof that you were here. The rest of it, dreams out of reach, those are things that are usually better left forgotten.

It's just not that important, you know? All I'm trying to say, is that you might not be able to change the world, but you can be content with just a couple others. It goes both ways- knowing that you aren’t nobody, and knowing your own limits. I’m not saying to chase a pipe dream. But usually, that isn’t the issue. I see my peers set limits on themselves far too often. I really like this class, how it really makes you think. I don’t have all the answers to all the impossible questions Geib asks. I just figure that having a goal is the most important step of accomplishing anything.

In the America I want to grow old in, I want to see just a little less apathy, a little more confidence. I'd like to see my peers stand tall knowing that they are significant. But quite importantly, I'd like to specify that the America we all grow old in is what we make of it. //The future// will be what we make of it, nothing more, and nothing less. And finally, I would like to close by saying that this has been a great year. That’s mostly due to all of you. Thank you.