Ian+O’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016


 * Risky Business **

Hello, my name is Ian Overton, and I want to grow old in an America where I don’t have to grow old. I’m not talking about spontaneously dying from a piano falling on me or anything like that, but I’m talking about an America where I can die whenever or wherever and be alright with that, because I died doing what I love. Because I died happy. As human beings, we have many fears, whether it be of spiders, snakes, or even asking someone out, we tend to be a cautious and calculated people. But this is boring. No one cares if you played it safe. No one cares if you thought about it than changed your mind. No one cares if you didn’t take the risk. Even Helen Keller said, “life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

When I was a naive, young, and rather stupid middle schooler, I had made, at what the time seemed, a drastic decision to get a girlfriend. Now I know after hearing middle schooler and girlfriend in the same sentence many of you are already deducing that this isn’t going to end well, and unfortunately for me you are correct. I remember the day, it was hot and I had bet my friend $5 that she would say yes and I remember my group of friends moronically gawking from the sidelines as I approached her table. This, being the first time I had ever asked anybody out, combined with the fact that I had no idea how to talk to girls and I probably can’t confidently say I can even now, resulted in a crushing defeat. After I had goofily approached her table, I asked the question to which she replied no. The answer hit me like a two ton heavy thing, I was lost, I didn’t know what to do. In a rebuttal that haunts my dreams to this day and in my meekest attempt to scavenge any dignity I had left, I yelled “You suck!” Then, I hastily began my long walk of shame to my hysterical friends only to give up my $5 in quarters and be made fun of for the rest of my middle school career. For me, that might as well of been the end of the world, sure I had been rejected and the girl was going to miss out on dating the most handsome and charismatic man on the planet but more importantly, I had suffered a humiliating rejection in front of all my so called “friends.” I had failed. However, as we all discussed in a Kindred blog previously this year failure isn’t always a bad thing. Yes, I had learned that maybe shouting “you suck” at the girl you just asked out may make you come off as a bit of an asshole, but more importantly I took the risk. I put myself out there on the line between success and failure and took a chance. And that’s something I can be proud of.

I want to grow old in an America where people would rather die on their feet than live on their knees. An America where people aren’t holed up in fortresses with stockpiles of food, ammunition, and guns in fear of the next world war. An America that doesn’t merely survive in fear. Now if surviving is your hobby and you’re like Bear Grylls or my fellow Dixiecrat Brodie Shore than more power to you. Bukowski says. “Find what you love and let it kill you.” And fortunately for us we live in one of the, if not the, most powerful nations on Earth. We are incredibly fortunate to have what we have and be able to go where we go, especially at Foothill. So why not enjoy it? Now I don’t believe walking down an alley at 2 o’clock in the morning in that one side of town is necessarily a risk worth taking but being who I am, doing what I believe in, and living life to it’s fullest absolutely is.

Taking risks is always going to come with failure but by opting out, aren’t you just failing anyways? Legendary hockey player Wayne Gretzky once said “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” and I plan on taking a lot of shots. I want to live in an America where every life is lived to the fullest and no opportunity is squandered. An America with risk takers.

So to conclude this year in AMEX and this last day of class, I’m going to finish by taking one last risk, Mr. Fitz, will you go out with me?

El Fin

Open Book by Helen Keller Charles Bukowski Emiliano Zapata Wayne Gretzky
 * Sources **