Bryce+K’s+Final+AmEx+2015+Speech

Bryce Kulzer Period 3 FitzPatrick 2 June 2015

"Judgement"
 * Title of Speech **
 * Text of Speech **


 * Today, I’m coming to you with something we all struggle with. It’s something that stops us before every action we take, something that has control over each of us, and worst of all, it can determine our future and where we’ll end up years from now. That is the fear of the judgement from others. We all fear what everyone else is thinking about us, although some people may deny it, it’s still there, in every one of us. We think about it more often than not, “Will people think I’m weird?”, “Will people think of me differently if I do this?” It stops us in our tracks before every move, to make sure what we’re doing is “normal”. **
 *  In my opinion, society is quite hypocritical on this subject. I see things all the time on instagram and youtube saying we should be ourselves, that “normal is boring”, and to not care for what others have to say about us. Yet they’ll turn right around and judge you for your opinions, for who you are, or for how you look. Is that the America we want to live in? I’m not so sure. However, society recognizes these problems and tries to help by posting little edited sayings on instagram or attempting to start a non-bullying movement which isn’t going to cut it. **


 *  Judgement is going to happen, it’s a fact that we have to accept. Do you think you could go a day without judging someone or something? Maybe, but it’s hard. I’ve tried it before, and I didn’t get very far. We can’t stop our opinions from happening, and they’ll happen no matter how hard we try, even when we try to see the best in everything. Although, we can’t stop the judgement, we can stop how it effects us. I want you to ask yourself a question: “How many times have you not done something that you’ve wanted to do, because you were afraid of what others might think?” I know I’ve done it. But we shouldn’t have to live in these chains of judgment and insecurity, we should be able to break free, and act as we please. **


 *  I have an epiphany to share about this: that there is an image, an image we all strive towards. We all know what it is, and know what it looks like. It’s the image that society creates, as the perfect human being. Of course it changes as years go by, depending on the latest trends and fashions, and things happening within the world. I think that this image gets to all of us, not just about our body, size or weight, but our personality. We are taught certain ways to act, certain ways to react, and of certain things to say in certain situations. **
 *  No matter how much sleep I get, or energy Intake, nothing will relieve the exhaustion I have by the end of the day. The exhaustion of having these expressions for others on my face, constantly worrying of what others may think, and revising conversations in my head to make sure I said the right thing. But when it comes down to it, whatever you have to say, or feel, is the right thing. With this image in mind, anything short of it is not socially acceptable, or is considered “weird”. But what is weird? What is normal? There is no weird. There is no normal. There’s no strange, no perfect, and no typical. There’s just individuals. Each one of us is incredibly unique, having different interests, different hobbies, and different ways of perceiving things. You should embrace who you are, not worrying if someone will judge you. The key to failure is trying to please everyone, so do what you love, and live how you want to live, without the fears of other’s thoughts getting in the way. The key to being happy is to stop comparing yourself to others, maybe if one day we can all accept ourselves for who we are, and block out the “image” that society creates, we can learn to live at peace with one another. **


 * Live for yourself, do what you love, you were given this life and this body after all, so why not make the most of it? As Dr. Suess once said, “Those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind don’t matter.” Do what’s right for you, and wake up each day with the confidence to be yourself, because in this world, sometimes being yourself is the hardest thing you can be. Stay true to you, because being unafraid of who you are, and who you can become makes you the most powerful person there is. Thank you. **


 * Cite your sources **